Crimson and Golden Leaves
by Paridise
Summary: Years of suffering has led a young blond down the path of pain. Uzumaki Naruto, a citizen of Konoha, sadness and hate follows his every footstep. This changes however. A lost family member, Uzumaki Kotero, cousin to Naruto comes and unites with him. Becoming brothers and enduring each other's hardships together, they will furfill their destinies and become Legends. AU/CD Story.
1. Chapter 1 - New Direction

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto._** _ **All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **(A/N) Hello all, thanks for clicking on the story. First piece of warning, this story will involve heavy violence, swearing and later in the story, mature content. Second piece of warning is that the start of this story will heavily focus on the OC in the early chapters then heavily focus on Naruto and then Naruto with the OC. You may be put off by this and I wouldn't be surprised one bit. The OC will be a character to help flavour the story and develop the world of Naruto in a different direction.**

 **Also, hopefully with the OC, it will make the story more unique and add many aspects to the world of Naruto we all love. So with that, please read and enjoy the story.**

 **Chapter 1 - New Direction**

"Ah, the smell of blood. I don't think I'll ever get used it," a tall slender man with broad shoulders said. He was standing in the middle of a forest clearing. The ground was stained with bandit blood, a darker shade than the blood red hair of the young man. He stalked over to a large boulder that was half-hidden by a few Ash trees. Slouching upright and taking a deep breath, he whipped out a cloth to wipe off the distasteful red liquid that was residing on both his blades.

"They never learn, do they? Although I don't belong to a village… yet. They should've known I was too dangerous for them. Hm, I feel bad for them now that I think about, but fuck'em they started it and it's better that they're dead than I am!" he said out loud.

Looking at the bodies again, the man could not feel but a pinch of guilt creeping silently around his heart. The men looked thin and their clothes weren't in much better condition, they probably need food to eat, money to spend and treasure to be looted so they can live a better life. Although stealing it from a man trained in shinobi arts was not the way to go doing it.

After the man finished his breather, he sheathed his swords and went over to the corpses. Pinching his nose from the metallic smell, he piled the bodies together and gathered some firewood. The wood was dry and light from the passed summer. The wood was put underneath, and he lit it with a match to get the fire started.

He did not regret killing the poor fools, but he certainly would regret leaving their bodies unattended for pesky vermin and vultures to take a nibble off their hides. He certainly wouldn't want to find a rotting corpse lying in the woods. No, he cut them cleanly so they would have a quick death and he will make sure they will rest in peace. The red-haired man felt he shouldn't be here any longer than necessary, so he scurried off further into the forest.

Night has taken over, the area was pitch black, the only sources of light was a beautiful crescent moon, the various stars that scattered and populated the sky and a bright orange campfire. The red-haired was reading a letter with various scrolls littered around it. His shiny amethyst eyes going over every single word, over every single detail.

"Hope Kaa-chan was right about this, Konoha is only one day away essentially and I don't need any more hassle!" he spoke loudly to no one in particular, ending with the puff of his cheeks.

"It's bad enough that they're going strip me down and mind-fuck me to make sure I'm not a spy. I understand why they have to do it, but damn it still sucks," he sighed out gruffly.

"All I want is family, this is my only option now. Still though, I don't understand why Kaa-chan didn't try to meet up with her earlier, why stay on the road? I wonder if there was trouble between them?" he spoke in wonder. He stood up and kicked dirt and gravel into the fire, killing it and strolled with a bit of a bounce into a small dry cave.

He lied down on the rough ground and unsealed a fluffy pillow from one of his various storage scrolls, _'Gotta love fūinjutsu,'_ he thought.

He positioned himself in a somewhat makeshift comfortable position and closed his eyes. "Uzumaki Kushina, I wonder what kind person you are?" he said before he rolled over and lost himself into the sweet darkness that was sleep.

* * *

 **Konoha Village**

It was another roasting day in the Land of Fire, and for the village hidden in the leaves, Konohagakure no Sato, it was business as usual. There were merchants entering and leaving, trading with the villagers and themselves with items only found in other elemental nations. The market area was bustling with people, it was a good season so there was a good harvest, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables at a fair price.

The Fire Daimyō was pleased with the state of the village and the results of the last Chūnin exams. Many missions have been sent Konoha's way. The ninja body have been working hard and completing the influx of missions.

It was clear to see that all is going very bliss for the village. At the entrance of the gates was a wooden shelter, two guards resting their bums on the wooden stools behind the counter. Both stared lazily out to what was going on ahead of them.

"This job is killing me Kotestu! Why do you love it so much? Wouldn't you rather do a bandit camp clean-up job or something… I don't know exciting?"

"Ah that's the thing my good friend, we're defending our great village from the dangers that could enter any moment through the gates.

We're probably the most important ninja in the WHOLE village. Apart from Sandaime-sama of course. And, Izumo we get all the gossip from the missions and stuff, who wouldn't love this job."

Izumo stared blankly at Kotestu. _'Why is this idiot my best friend,'_ he thought with heavy eyes.

After a few more seconds of the awkward silence, both Chūnin bursted out laughing. Izumo laughed so hard that he slipped off his stool and landed on his rear. As they were a scene, they both noticed everyone was staring at down with questionable gazes.

The two men sobered up quickly and sat promptly on their stools. Everyone went back to their business as the gate guards tried to act professional but snickering could still be heard from the wooden shack.

Suddenly Kotestu spoke up. "I get what you mean though, it would be nice if there was a bit more excitement around here to be honest."

A few hours went by and now it was early afternoon, the sun was still beating down on them.

Wiping sweat off his forehead and cheek, Kotestu yawned and leaned out of the shack to see what was in front of the gates. He thought it was the usual, as he was going back to his stool, he saw a small shine come from the gate's direction. He squinted his eyes and noticed a lone man walking towards the village. He soaked in the details of the man as he was eyeing him up. After all, it could spell trouble for him and the village.

First he noticed the clothing, it was mainly a combination of black and red. He wore black combat shinobi sandals that went up just below his knee-caps, black shinobi pants that hugged his legs, they fitted well to his figure and were loose enough for more flexibility. He had the traditional shuriken holster on his right thigh with strappings underneath.

This was getting suspicious, Kotestu focused harder on the incoming man, it could be an enemy ninja.

On his waist he had various pouches, for various tools. As Kotetsu looked higher up, he saw that he wore a long sleeved black shinobi shirt, over it was a very thin sleeveless jacket that was red as the primary colour and small black swirls on the border of the jacket. He noticed that that he was wearing a pair of dark forest green wrist guards with a bit more leather under the right wrist. There were also two sword hilts hanging off his back, both were parallel to each other. One hilt was ruby red and the other was sapphire blue in colour.

Then Kotestu saw the face of the man approaching closer and closer to the village. The man had a clean face apart from one scar. Kotestu saw the man feel his scar while walking towards him, the scar travelled through the middle of his left eye. Kotestu assumed there must have been a good story behind that scar.

The eyes were as clear as water, the colour was intense, a surreal purple like amethyst crystals.

Despite the weather, Kotestu saw the man's skin was was of a light tone, the man wasn't tanned one bit.

Then on top of the mysterious man's head was spikey blood red hair, it was kept long on top and only just shorter on the sides, it was kept in good condition and framed his whole face well. It certainly reminded Kotestu of a few of his fellow ninja.

"Yo Izumo. A guy is coming over, let's see what he wants!" Kotestu said. Receiving a nod, the two left the guard post to see what was with the man.

 _'Alright looks like I got some company already. Alright time put on my game face!'_ the red-haired man thought as the distance between him and the two approaching guards was getting smaller and smaller.

"Halt there. Good afternoon. State your name and business," Izumo said after tightening his bandanna forehead protecter, in a voice filled with authority.

The redhead looked at the two men with a poker face but inside he was thinking what he was going to say. _'Guess I should just tell the truth,'_ he thought.

"Good afternoon to you two as well. My business in Konoha is that I need to have an audience with your Hokage, and my name is Uzumaki Kotero," he said with a smile and a head nod. "Lovely to make your acquaintances."

Both Izumo and Kotestu were shocked to the core when they heard his name. _'This guy is related to that Naruto kid!?'_ they both thought immediately. Izumo shook his head and looked at Kotero again.

"Ok Kotero-san, do you have any identification papers? We need to make sure you are legitimately who you say you, we can't have you running around under disguise, I think Hokage-sama would skin us alive!" Izumo said with a chuckle.

Kotero reached down into one of his pouches and whipped out a scroll, he gave it to Kotestu who opened it without hesitation. Kotestu saw that it was legit, Kotero was a citizen of the Land of Fire. He then closed the scroll and gave it back to Kotero. "Everything seems to be in order Kotero-san, welcome to Konoha!" he gleefully said with wide open arms.

Izumo looked at his partner with brotherly disgust written all over his face. He turned his to head to Kotero, gave a smile and a nod with his head. Both side-stepped to allow the Uzumaki by. Kotero gave a wink to them both and headed off. After he was a considerable distance, Kotestu looked at Izumo.

"I like the look of that guy, he wasn't even acting dangerous but I can tell he's strong," Izumo said as he went back to the guard post and said, "let's just hope he isn't an enemy."

Kotestu stood there for all but a second and rushed back to his job with his best friend. "Did you hear of the news of the man with red hair that went on a drunken rampage? At that town close by... what was it again? Oh yeah, it was Gero Onsen. Do you think it was him?" he asked, getting to Izumo's side.

Izumo looked up to the sky before saying anything. "I doubt it man. He looked clean, like he didn't drink at all. And he didn't smell bad at all," he said. "I don't think it's him."

* * *

 **Konoha Main Streets**

As Kotero was walking towards the Hokage tower, he noticed what Konoha really was _. 'This place is FREAKING HUGE! There must be thousands of people here. Still its smaller than the Capital, thank God, that place is suffocating!'_ Kotero thought _._

Kotero noticed that there were four large chakra signatures around in a square formation, on the roof tops above at least two metres in from the edge. He looked up and saw nothing but still sensed chakra.

' _Must be Konoha ANBU, no doubt they sensed me, an unknown, with huge chakra reserves, not even trying to supress it. Hmm I shouldn't try anything funny, they'll chase me down in a second,'_ Kotero thought.

Kotero was walking at a leisurely pace, taking in all the views, he saw kids playing with toys and playing "ninja", he thought it was cute, kids who could barely run fast, throwing wooden shuriken and falling on their asses, pure comedy gold. Time flew by and before he knew it he saw a huge red tower with the kanji of "fire" on it.

 _'This has to be it, if it's anything else I'll sell my swords,'_ he thought with a small smile tugging his lips. He went inside the two with a friendly nod to the two-ninja guarding the door, he scanned the large area he entered. It was filled willed with people going in every single direction. It reminded Kotero of a bee hive and the Hokage as the Queen Bee, _'Now there's a thought,'_ Kotero giggled internally.

He saw a middle-aged woman, sitting behind a lovely wooden desk. The woman had brown shoulder length hair and a face that screamed 'tired'. Kotero nonchalantly strolled to the desk.

As he was going to open his mouth, the receptionist put up her index finger up and "shhhhhhhd" him.

 _'Bitch!'_ Kotero thought angrily but kept his poker face up, he did not want to make a scene here of all places.

Finally, after a minute of waiting, she turned her head up with the fakest smile Kotero has ever seen. "Good afternoon, how can I help you today?" she asked.

Kotero looked at her with a smile of his own. "Good afternoon to you too, I need to have an audience with the Hokage as soon as possible, when is earliest time I can see him?" he asked.

She looked at the schedule on her desk while twiddling her fingers. "Hokage-sama is free in an hour, his meeting with the council was cancelled, he can see you then," She said.

"Thank you so much!" with the simple reply he went off to the comfy chair, took out a scroll on medical ninjutsu and read it intently.

The hour went by in a flash. "You can visit Hokage-sama now!" the receptionist yelled out to Kotero from her desk.

Kotero quickly sat up, stretched his arms and legs and popped his back, _'God that felt good,'_ he thought.

Kotero walked by the desk and gave the older woman a thumbs-up. He climbed the stairs and he saw a large green door with an ANBU guard just outside it. He went to the door and gave it a light knock.

* * *

 **The Hokage's Office**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was doing the devil's work, paperwork, signing and stamping on the documents had made him tired of all this work. He really wanted to smoke in peace with some nice green tea and read the latest Icha-Icha book that came out. He looked at the stack of paper getting smaller and he was feeling relieved, _'Thank God, it seemed that it would never shrink, nearly finished,'_ he thought.

He was about to stamp another page until he heard on his door. Hiruzen raised his head and looked at the portraits of the former Hokage. _'Shodai-sama, Nidaime-sama, Yondaime-sama you're all probably laughing at me,'_ he clenched his teeth slightly _'miserable bastards,'_ he thought.

Hiruzen nearly forgot about the door. Composing himself and taking a deep breath, he sat straight. "Enter," he said in a neutral tone.

What came into his office was the biggest shock that has come in a long time. Before him was a teenage boy, couldn't be older than eighteen, he had blood red hair and amethyst eyes. The aura seemed all too familiar to him. It was a blast to the past for the old man. Old and fond memories surfaced up, He had close relations to both Kushina and Mito.

When Hiruzen comprehended the situation, he was in he realised that this young man was an Uzumaki. _'What are the chances?'_ he thought.

Hiruzen wasn't a veteran shinobi for nothing but he couldn't hide his shock completely as his left eyebrow was raised high the incentive, he started what he knew would be a long conversation. "Who might you be young man? You're certainly not one of my ninja," he said.

Kotero looked at him with a genuine smile, he knew what the old man was doing so he'll play along with it, for fun. "You're dead right. I'm not a ninja from your village. But where are my manners!? My name is Uzumaki Kotero, a pleasure to meet you Hokage-sama," Kotero said.

The aged Hokage looked at the young man, his curiosity was truly peaked now. He was right, this is an Uzumaki survivor. He gestured Kotero to take a seat in front of him.

"Kotero-san, pleasure is all mine. I'm sure you have a few questions for me, but I have a few questions for you too," Hiruzen said. Kotero didn't seem fazed at all. He knew this man was still considered a 'God of shinobi' but if he didn't act stupid he shouldn't be in any trouble at all.

"Of course, Hokage-sama, it wouldn't much of a conversation if I did all the asking and you did all the answering, now would it?" Kotero said in a playful manner.

Hiruzen was impressed, the young man in front of him was not intimidated in the least and was trying to make the talk enjoyable. _'I think I'm going to like this kid,'_ Hiruzen mused to himself.

"If you don't mind sir, but could I go first just to get what I wanted to say out of the way?" Kotero responded with a nod from the old man.

"Thank you. There are two reasons why I came to Konoha. The first was to apply to become one of your ninja and to see my lost family. Unfortunately…", Kotero took a deep breath and continued "My Kaa-chan, Uzumaki Aiko, had passed away, before she passed away she told me about her sister who she hasn't seen in many years and was sent to Konoha at a young age and that I should try to find her. You might know her; my aunt's name is Uzumaki Kushina," Kotero said with a pained expression.

The Hokage slightly flinched at name when it came out from Kotero's mouth. He did not expect that, or at least so quickly. He sat still, he was as quiet as a mouse. He motioned Kotero to continue with his story.

"My father died when he protected my Kaa-chan and I when I was four years old, then my Kaa-chan and I travelled mainly around the Land of Fire and coast across from the Land of Whirlpools. She trained me to be a shinobi the best she could. You could say she was my most precious person. I loved her with all my heart. We lived a happy simple life you could say.

Then a few months ago she caught this crazy disease, it was killing her and I couldn't find the problem or a cure. I'm skilled in medical ninjutsu, but I couldn't do anything for her, we travelled from town to town, city to city trying different doctors, while I got out and try and improve my skills with herbs and medical ninjutsu. I even tried to seek out Senju Tsunade, but she was an enigma. So, I just put all my focus on saving her. Trying everything that could cure her.

However, all it did was extend her life. She was dying fast!" Kotero gritted out. At this point Kotero's tears escaped his eyes, flowing down his checks. He didn't care if he cried in front of the Hokage about his mother.

"She told me all about Aunt Kushina and after she dies that I should go to Konoha to start a new life," Kotero wiped his face with his sleeve and looked straight at the Hokage.

"After she passed away, I fell into depression, but I couldn't let my Kaa-chan's last wish go to the grave so I came here. My only wish now is to settle down, discover my lost family, love them, protect and cherish them," Kotero said with determined eyes.

After a few deep breaths, Kotero recomposed himself after telling the Hokage one of his most painful experiences. He finished with a low, quiet voice but loud enough so the Hokage could hear. "I want to become a ninja of this village, I want to see my lost family. I'll do any test you want me to do," he said.

Hiruzen looked for any deception in the tale, he can catch any liar, what he found was that he was telling the truth. The aged Hokage felt bad for the boy, from the story it seems all he wanted to do was save his mother, he put in months of blood, sweat and tears and she still passes away.

Although he felt sad for the young man, there was a tinge of happiness flowing through veins. _'The events were terrible but now it seems like both he and Naruto can have family. It'll do that blond good, he'll stop pestering me for my hat hahaha,'_ Hiruzen chuckled in his head.

The old man knew this would benefit the whole village, he can tell that Kotero was a powerful shinobi, as of now he knows he didn't commit any crimes and the Uzumaki clan and Senju clan were best friends so it'll be easy for him to integrate into the village.

It would be the best benefit for Naruto, he can have someone there for him, protect him and love him. He could take off the mask he wears with the fake 1000 watt smile and have a genuine smile. The aged Hokage knew he failed Naruto, even though allowing his cousin to come and live would not repair the damage done, it would make the pit he dug not as deep.

He took a deep breath and looked straight into the eyes of Kotero. "I will let you become a ninja of this village but we need to get things out the way first. To make sure you are not a spy. You will go to the Torture and Interrogation department at ten sharp, myself and two others will ask you questions and check you out. I'll leave my questions until then alright and then if you get the all clear, well let's just see what happens," the Hokage said.

The old man stood up and looked out the window and noticed that's its evening time. "Kotero there's a hotel in the centre of the village, do you need money for a room?" he asked.

"No Hokage-sama I have money. Don't worry about that," Kotero replied with a smile.

Getting out of the chair, he rose and went for the door, he stopped and twirled on his to face the Hokage once more "I truly appreciate this sir, and I'll see you at that building at ten sharp," he said with a thumbs up.

Hiruzen laughed but then remembered, "But you don't know where it is!"

Kotero shocked the man when barked out a loud laugh. "Don't you worry sir, I'll find you," Kotero said. The Hokage had a very confused face until Kotero said "I'm a sensor, and your chakra is crazy strong. I'll just find you again hahahaha," Kotero said before he quickly dashed the door to find a hotel to sleep for the night.

The old Hokage was frozen still, he then sighed and shook his head left to right with a huge grin on his face. _'That kid, I like him, I think he's exactly what this village needs. Now screw this paperwork, I have to make a good list of questions for the brat,'_ the Hokage thought with a grin.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

It was ten in the morning and the Hokage and Kotero were just entering the torture and interrogation building. Kotero has been in lots of dangerous situations but this building was giving him the creeps. They both walked down different corridors never going the same direction.

The young Uzumaki man was thinking the old man has gone senile but finally they make it to a large metal door. They entered beyond the room. The space was huge and the ceiling was nowhere to be seen. The floor was covered with cream coloured tiles and the walls were a boring grey. There was only one light and it was in the centre.

 _'Trying to be scary huh?'_

Kotero finally noticed the two men who were in the room. One man had long sandy blond hair and a high ponytail and two bangs framing his face together with a strong jawline. The other man was like a bear, he was at least a head taller than Kotero and his shoulders were so large you could swear he was hiding people under his coat. He had two definitive scars on his face and he was wearing a bandanna to cover the rest of his head.

"Good morning gentlemen," the old Hokage said.

"Hokage-sama," they both responded without hesitation, like it was second-nature to them.

"We are going to do an evaluation on our new friend here, he is a potential ninja to join our village but we need to make sure he isn't a spy. Now Kotero take a seat over there," the Hokage said. Kotero obliged and sat promptly on the chair. "Are we ready?" the old man asked and the two assistants just nodded. "Alright I want your basic info so we can file it," he said looking at Kotero. Kotero gave a positive nod.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Uzumaki Kotero."

"How old are you and when were you born?"

"I'm seventeen right now, my birthday is on the 9th of September so just a month ago."

Hiruzen mused to himself ' _A month born before Naruto, that's nice,_ ' he thought.

"Height and Weight?" the large man in the trench coat said

"I'm five foot eleven in height, I haven't finished growing just yet. And last time I checked my weight I was sixty-six kilograms… none of it of fat mind you."

They were no responses, Kotero sulked _'I was trying to liven up the mood damnit!'_ Kotero thought with a pout.

"Blood type?" the blonde man quizzed

"B, wait. No, yup definitely B!" Kotero chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head

The three men exchanged looks and each nodded at each other.

"Uzumaki-san, my name is Inoichi and I'm going to perform a technique on you for the assessment so all I need you to do is relax and breathe in a steady rhythm, it'll make all of our lives easier," Inoichi said as he walked up to Kotero

"Please just call me Kotero, and don't worry I don't want to fuck up my brain so I'll do my best," he replied.

The large man sniggered to himself as Inoichi stood in front of Kotero. Inoichi then placed his left hand on Kotero's forehead after he formed his hand seals for a mind-walk jutsu. Kotero went to sleep as Inoichi searched his mind for any evidence for aligning himself with the other hidden villages. After an hour of searching his mind, Inoichi released his jutsu and walked over to the two other men in the room.

"Well how did he do?" the Hokage inquired, he only met Kotero yesterday and already he likes him a lot, maybe getting old has made soft.

"I've been wondering myself, I feel no ill-intent, he obviously doesn't want to hurt us or the village, and he co-operated with us… pleasantly," the bear-like man said as he rubbed his knuckle against his chin.

Inoichi had a smug look on his face. "Ibiki, Hokage-sama, the kid is clean, I've went through most his life without any form resistance, none of the memories were fabricated as far as I can tell.

To make the story short, he's a strong shinobi, he was trained by his mother and he brutally trained himself for what seemed like years.

There were memories where they were ambushed by Kumo and Iwa shinobi. The mother and son disposed of them together. It was a rare occurance, but there were multiple incidents that spanned across years.

From what I saw, Kotero-san is very skilled in taijutsu but more so in the art of kenjutsu. And everything he said about his Aunt and mother was true," Inoichi told them.

Hiruzen's grin grew even wider, he was right about him. Kotero wasn't siding with any ninja village, his actions showed that he was on nobody's side.

Ibiki stared at Inoichi with a frown "Are you sure he isn't faking anything?" he asked.

Inoichi sighs, making Ibiki and Hiruzen look at him with critical eyes. "No, he isn't. The only problem though is that his most recent memories was of him in a underground street brawl tournament. The town I saw was very familiar. I'm convinced that it was Gero Onsen, the town North of Konoha. I couldn't see a clear picture, but Kotero-san was clearly intoxicated," he said. "Heavily intoxicated."

"What happened after?" Ibiki asked, his curiosity was dripping off his tongue. "This kid is sounding more and more interesting. Did he win? Or did he vomit all over his competitors?"

Hiruzen wasn't showing it, but it was clear he was just as interested as the man beside him.

Inoichi sighed before he chuckled. "He won the small tournament with ease, despite his terrible condition. Kotero-san then went the liquoir store and bought multiple crates of sake. He brought the crates to his hotel room. The most surprising part is that not one bottle broke. Everything he paid for was with his winnings.

Kotero-san then procedded to drink, and once he drank too much, he began his fits of vomiting, which lasted for quite a while. Honestly, it's an embarrassing image, truly saddening.

Kotero-san's emotions were all over the place. His mother's death just destroyed him, inside and out. With his drunken episode and releasing his dark feelings through his fists, it's obvious something happened to him that night. Maybe he had a vision of some sorts?

The memory of the next day showed that he recovered well enough to stop drinking and move on with his life. Kotero-san almost looked like he didn't even drink an ounce of alcohol that night," he said. "The most recent memory I could find without damaging his psyche were the events of two days ago at night-time. He was ambushed by those reported bandits that escaped during Genma-san and his team's mission."

Ibiki laughed. "So, he's a strong kid. And he suffered a lot. What are your thoughts Hokage-sama?" he asked.

Hiruzen exhaled heavily through his nose before he spoke his words. "All I'm wondering is that if he can use the Drunken Fist? Inoichi, how was Kotero during in his fights?" he asked.

Inoichi looked to the limp and sleeping body of Kotero. "He was very sluggish. However, his opponents were normal citizens. They weren't trained in any of the ninja arts. It was an unfair competition from the very beginning. His intoxication didn't even slow him down, all it did was make him trip over too many times in his fights," he said. "Hokage-sama, everything is finished. Ibiki doesn't need to do anything. Kotero is clean."

Ibiki hummed loudly. "Damn, and here I thought I was going to have fun with him. Thank God Anko isn't here though, she wouldn't care if he's in the clear already, she would jump on his bones and do her 'personal' interrogation," he said.

Hiruzen and Inoichi paled with the mention of the crazy snake mistress of Konoha. Then Hiruzen cleared his throat to gather the attention. "That clears everything, I need you two to write a report so I can give it to the council. ANBU!"

An ANBU ninja came in a flash wearing the mask of a yellow-billed duck. "I need Kotero back at my office. Try make it as relaxing as it can be," Hiruzen ordered.

The ANBU picked up Kotero and threw him onto his shoulder. He then vanished in a body-flicker.

"That's good. I'd say he will go down well with most of the council," the Hokage said. A frown appeared on the Hokage's face. "It's unfortunate that my former team mates will give me grief," he said with a hard voice, his frown deeply darkened. "And Danzō will want Kotero for one of his schemes or have him kicked out."

"Hokage-sama why don't you just kick Danzō off the council if he always causes a pain to your backside?" Ibiki inquired, genuinely interested in Konoha politics.

"I hope that isn't a crack at my age Ibiki-kun?" Hiruzen said before he smirked. Before Ibiki could respond with any answer, the Hokage raised his hand to silence him.

"Don't worry Ibiki I was only messing with you. To be honest if I knew some of the things Danzō would do then I would have already, he doesn't have the Will of Fire, it's funny. Kotero isn't even a day in Konoha and he has traits of the Will of Fire. Anyway, it's too late to kick him out, he planted to many roots to get him out," Hiruzen answered him. There were a few dry laughs in between some words.

"ROOT? You mean his private Army?" Ibiki said with surprise that the Hokage would give out such information.

"No Ibiki you idiot, it was a metaphor. God, how are you a Jōnin?" Inoichi chided, it was funny seeing the menacing Ibiki jumping to conclusions and making himself look like an idiot.

Ibiki turned his head and glared at his partner.

"Anyway, as I said, it's just too much hassle to kick him out. I know he loves our village more than anything but he's going down the wrong path. Ahem… thank you both for your help today and bring your reports ASAP. I need to talk to Kotero about his skills, then he'll need an evaluation with a different Jōnin," Hiruzen sighed as he began to rub his temples with his fingers, it was going to another long day at the office. "Inoichi, don't include Kotero's drunken episode in your report. I'm sure both he and I would get in trouble if it became common knowledge. Ibiki, you can add anything relevant to it."

"No problem Hokage-sama. Now I'm wondering how good the brat is. He'll be a great asset to the village," Ibiki spoke in usual gruff voice and Inoichi nodding along.

The aged leader gave both men a smile as went his way back to the office. Walking through the streets of Konoha, he was bombarded with greetings and bows from his villagers and ninja. The young children ran up the man and started stare in awe the most powerful ninja in the village. Hiruzen returned their attention with friendly waves and a grandfatherly smile.

Although he wanted to return to his office as quickly as possible, not to get away from the villagers because of the attention, no because of a certain redhead that made quite the impression on the old man.

Throughout the so called "interrogation" the Hokage has been wondering how skilled Kotero is. If he went by appearance and attitude alone, he would assume he was a Jōnin, or at least an elite Chūnin, however looks can be very deceiving so he had a shroud of doubt but when Inoichi mentioned his encounter with Kumo and Iwa nin and his skill in kenjutsu, his interest grew tenfold.

Hiruzen knew the Uzumaki clan were famed for not only by their sealing prowess, but also their Kenjutsu and Water Ninjutsu. His itch to find out how skilled a shinobi Kotero was now worse than the itch for him to smoke his tobacco. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. _'This kid is going to be the end of me!_ '

* * *

 **The Hokage's Office**

Hiruzen suddenly opened his office door to find a groggy Kotero rubbing his head intensely. "Oh, I wonder if Inoichi-san does that to his wife?" he said out loud not realising Hiruzen was there.

"Kotero-kun, you shouldn't say stuff like that," the Hokage said while walking to his desk. _'I wonder if Jiraiya could use that for his next book hehehehe… NO bad Hiruzen!'_ the Hokage thought.

"You alright Jiji? Oh God! Please forgive me Hokage-sama! My mind isn't a hundred percent yet," Kotero blurted out. He would have continued, but he heard Hiruzen chuckling to himself.

"Don't worry Kotero-kun, actually it's nice being called something else. You recently lost your mother and your father died when you young."

Kotero winces at the words said. He still wasn't used to the prospect of a life without his dear mother.

"My wife and my first son are dead and my second, Asuma, only calls me 'Hokage-sama' not Tou-san like he used to. My grandson, Konohamaru-kun, lives with me and he's the only one who would call me something like Ji-chan. I'd say we would both appreciate if we spoke on more… familiar levels," Hiryzen said, the smile never leaving his face as he nibbled on his smoking pipe.

"Yeah, don't worry. But I'm only going to call you that when it's just me and you. No way in hell am I'm going to say it in front of other ninja!" Kotero stated with a light foot-stomp to emphasis his point.

"Yes, actually that would be better. Are you feeling okay? You want water or Tea maybe?"

"Nah, I'm good for now Jiji, thanks though. So, you want to ask your questions, now don't you?"

"You got me," the Hokage said with his hands in the air in a surrender position. "I'd say if you just tell me your skills and other talents. I need to make an appointment with another Jōnin to test out your skills."

"Yea that makes sense. I won't go into detail of how skilled I am in each area of a ninja, it wouldn't do us any good if all my skills were on paper. To start with, I would say my best skills would have to be sealing and kinjutsu."

"Sealing? I'm not surprised since you're an Uzumaki. Are you a Seal-master?"

"Seal-master? Yeah I would be I suppose. I love seals, when my Mother started teaching me it, I took like a fish to water. Before she fell ill, I was already better than her."

"That's great! Seal-masters are rare enough. And what about your kenjutsu?"

"Well I don't like tooting my horn a lot but to be honest I'm deadly with my trusty blades. I learned the traditional Uzumaki styles, and I use one Uzumaki style in particular, 'Swirling blades' with two swords. I did so that there's always one attack facing the enemies. It overwhelms the opponent while the damage is done through swirling around him or her, stabbing them or slicing them when they are open. It's like a dance."

"I'm excited to see it when we do your test, now tell me about your other skills."

"Well, I used to do a lot of hunting, so I'm stealthy and I can make traps. Myself and Mother were proficient at the healing arts as you know so I can be at combat or at healing a team-mate.

My taijutsu is good, but I'm no expert, my style is the traditional Whirl-fist, basically it's like a whirlpool, you move slow, let your opponent's settle with your speed, then let your speed explode to throw them off their game. It relies on hard hits with the joints of the body so the elbow or knee are the main weapons of attack. The style also emphasises on grappling. Its handy such that if an enemy is open in the slightest, it's easy to pull off a combo where they get broken ribs, arms or legs," Kotero explained.

The Hokage was nodding along, taking down short notes on his skills. "I'm sure these are clan secrets and techniques," he asked. Getting a nod from the Uzumaki he put down his ink brush. "Okay Kotero, tell me about your ninjutsu."

Kotero looked down on the floor while scratching the back of his head. "Yea Jiji, this is embarrassing topic for me. Ehh I don't have much of a ninjutsu arsenal."

"Well everyone can't be perfect, now can they? Just tell what you do know," The Hokage said with a soft voice.

"Well I know the **transformation technique** , and the **substitution technique** , **teleportation techinque** and finally the **shadow clone technique**."

"WHAT! How do you know how to make shadow clones, that's a Konoha kinjutsu," the Hokage yelled out. Kotero's words truly surprised him.

"Well funny story there Jiji, my great-great grandad and the Nidaime Hokage were like best pals if I remember what my Kaa-chan told me. He made and gave the Shadow clone technique to our clan when we helped him with his sealing and his space-time ninjutsu. My Mother knew the technique so she just taught it to me," Kotero said with a loud laugh.

The aged Hokage took a few seconds to process the information he just heard, his senesi, Senju Tobirama, who was always a stingy bastard gave one of Konoha's most prized jutsu away like if it was loaf of bread. Leaving the fond memories of his former sensei, he took a deep intake from his pipe and then blew out the sweet goodness that is cinnamon infused tobacco. "Kotero, what about elemental jutsu?" he asked.

"I have the natural elemental affinity to water. I can also use wind chakra. Both are strong. I don't know any techniques for either element though," Kotero said glumly. "However, I have been training into manipulating them for ages, I can split a rock the size of my hand with just my chakra and I can soak a stack of paper, as thick as a few bricks with just my chakra as well."

"What element was your mother's Kotero?"

"Oh, she was a water user, and she was amazing at it as well!" Kotero exclaimed proudly.

"If that's the case, then why don't you have any water ninjutsu?" the Hokage questioned, quite perplexed on how Kotero hasn't learnt any yet.

"She was going to teach me. When I was younger, she made me focus on seals, medical ninjutsu, chakra control exercises, my tai and kenjutsu. She told me 'after these exercises, doing any elemental jutsu will be easier' so I did what I was told, Jiji she was a scary woman. I learnt that the hard way, so I wasn't going to question her.

We started my elemental jutsu training about a month before she got ill. When she was getting weaker and weaker, we stopped training and I completely focused and medical ninjutsu and the healing arts. Even though I couldn't save her, my skills in the area improved immensely," Kotero finished with a sad smile. "Only when I took a break did I ever practice it."

"Ah, sorry for questioning it then," Hiruzen said. He finished off a short list of Kotero's skills, he placed the ink brush down and looked into the eyes of Kotero. "Well I think that clears most of what I wanted to talk about."

The Hokage stood up and walked over to Kotero to put a grandfatherly pat on his shoulder. "We will arrange to have your ranking test tomorrow at twelve noon. I will have one of my most trusted Jōnin and my most experienced kenjutsu user to test your skills. I will be watching as well just to let you know. So, I suggest you go back to your hotel and prepare for it.

Once that's all done, and I announce to the council that you will be a Konoha nin, you can see your family. Deal?" Kotero nods his head from the Hokage's words, "Good! Just meet me outside the tower before noon and we can go to the training grounds together."

"Yes sir!" Kotero replied with a mock salute. Kotero gave a friendly wave and walked to the door. "See ya tomorrow Jiji!" he cheered as he left out the door.

The Hokage went back to sit down and motioned for one of his personal ANBU to appear.

"Yes Hokage-sama?" the female ANBU said behind her cat mask.

"Neko, I need you to get Gekko Hayate and Hatake Kakashi here immediately. Use whatever force necessary to get Kakashi to get him here before I chew his head for being late all time," the old man said gruffly as he was getting frustrated from the silver-haired Jōnin's annoying antics.

"Of course, Hokage-sama," the purple haired woman said in a neutral tone.

Five minutes later a tall man with brown hair, wearing a bandana forehead protecter and a katana strapped on his back entered the room. Both men waited in silence, every now and then a weak cough would break the silence. Before the ten-minute mark, a man with his forehead protecter covering his left eye, gravity defying silver hair and wearing the usual Jōnin wardrobe ran, his face tells the Hiruzen that he must have seen a ghost.

"Hokage-sama, you can't ban the Icha-Icha books just because I'm late all the time. Please sir!" he got on his hands and knees and begged his leader. "They are truly works of art," he yelled out.

The old man stifled a laugh while the brown-haired man in the back was filled with disappointment, ' _Th_ _is is our strongest Jōnin, God... we're a laughing stock,'_ he thought.

"Kakashi, Hayate, I need you both ready for battle tomorrow," the Hokage said with seriousness.

Both ninja tensed and looked warily at their leader, Hayate was first to speak up "What's the matter Hokage-sama? Why just us two?" he asked.

"Well Hayate don't worry too much, we have a potential ninja coming from the outside, we already did an interrogation on him and he's clean, all we need is to test his skills to see where he is on the ninja ladder," The Hokage explained.

Both Kakashi and Hayate relaxed after hearing this, but Kakashi's curiosity got the better of him. "Sandaime-sama, why us two? Also, can we learn who it is?" Kakashi asked.

The old man had a slight grin when he heard this, he can't wait for Kakashi's reaction. "Well I need you Hayate to have fight him in a kenjutsu battle as he is very skilled in it, and Kakashi you're overall the most rounded ninja that we have that has skills in most areas. And his name is Uzumaki Kotero," The Hokage told the two.

Hayate took in the name with a hint of surprise, he heard rumours of a blond Uzumaki who pranks the village, as like everyone else he thought he was just a poor orphan kid. Kakashi on the other hand was shocked, his lone eye was popping out. ' _An Uzumaki survivor, How?_ ' Kakashi thought.

"So, both of you need to be at training grounds seven at twelve tomorrow. Kakashi if you come there late, I swear to God I'll strap you up so fast, search your house for your books and burn them in front of you! Dismissed!" The Hokage ordered, leaking a bit of his killer intent to Kakashi to drive home his point.

Hayate left, while Kakashi's feet seemed to be frozen in place. The Hokage wanted to finish his paper work but he knew his trusty Jōnin had something on his mind. "What's wrong Kakashi? You usually want to leave as soon as possible so you can read again."

"Sir, are you sure he is truly an Uzumaki and not an imposter?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, I'm a hundred percent sure he is who he says he is," the Hokage answered with certainty.

"How?" Kakashi asked, truly not believing what he heard.

At this point the Hokage was getting annoyed, he just wanted to do his damn paperwork. He tried his hardest not to crack his pipe in frustration and looked up to the masked cyclops nin. "I'm so confident because he is Kushina's nephew," he answered slowly.

Kakashi had been shocked again, second time in less than ten minutes. "So that means..." he didn't get to continue as the Hokage spoke up.

"Yes, he is Naruto's direct cousin, you could say closest thing to a big brother," the Hokage said.

Kakashi just nodded and left the office, processing all the information he just heard, he couldn't speak as he was flabbergasted. The old Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and wondering how well his newest ninja will perform. He'd be lying if he wasn't excited to see what's coming. _'I wonder if he would like a spar with me at some time hehe,'_ he thought. He took a whiff of his pipe and swiftly got back to work at double time, trying to make the infinite pile of white stacked paper go down.

* * *

 **Training Grounds Seven**

It was the next day, Kotero and the Hokage were walking just outside the main part of the village to Training Grounds Seven.

Kotero was informed that it was the largest training ground they have for the Genin teams. It had various landscapes such as forest, plains, rock face and ground, a large river and lake so it was a great training ground.

The Hokage was reminiscing about his old team, the 'Legendary Sannin'. They were famous throughout the elemental nations and the old man wouldn't shut up about them.

They finally arrived at the clearing that was the entrance of training grounds seven. They were right on time, a minute till noon. Hayate was there already, having arrived a little early to do some warm up exercues and to clean his blade.

Hiruzen motioned Hayate to come over so they get started. "Kotero, this is Gekko Hayate, he is our kenjutsu specialist in the village, hopefully we get a grand spectacle from your fight today."

They both closed the distance between them and gave hearty handshake to each other. "It's a pleasure to meet you Hayate-san," Kotero said.

"As well Kotero-san, I'm excited for this match so let's get to it," Hayate said before he went off into the clearing, spun around and unsheathed his katana, and entered his sword stance.

Kotero walked a few paces back and spun around as well, and unsheathed one of his swords, Ruby. He entered the traditional Swirling Blades stance, relaxed his muscles, slowed his breathing, and then completely focused on Hayate.

The Hokage stood in the middle, between the swordsman. "Alright you two, we want to have a clean fight, so no major cuts or cutting off limbs. The winner will be decided if one of you can longer fight or in a position where you can't escape death. With that let's begin. Begin!" he shouted.

Both men flew at each other and parried their blows respectively, when they touched the ground, they swung their swords at each other, each dodging or parrying the others attempt to hit them. This went for several seconds until Hayate jumped back from an attack that seemed to come out of nowhere when Kotero swirled on left foot only slightly, his sword aiming at Hayate's left shoulder. _'Fuck me this guy is good, I have to be careful around him, he has experience with enemies, he isn't some wimp who just picked up a sword for first time!'_ he thought.

Kotero took a more defensive stance, his breathing pattern hasn't changed since the start of the bout. He felt completely in the zone. ' _I wonder if I should use just one or both of my swords. We'll wait and see, if it gets harder from now on, I can always use both when I'm in stuck between shit and more shit!'_ Kotero thought.

Hayate rushed at Kotero with his sword ready to strike, he then channelled chakra to his blade to give it an overwhelming shine. " **Sword technique: Bleeding moonlight**."

Kotero's vision was completely useless now, he clamped his eyes together, trying to stop the light from stinging his eyes even further. The pseudo-flashbang really affected Kotero's surroundings. Instead of freaking out, he immediately focused chakra to his ears to try to hear Hayate's feet. He also multi-tasked by trying to sense Hayate's chakra, Kotero was disorientated but he could feel the chakra signature approaching him at an alarming pace.

At the last second, he quickly rolled to the right to avoid the stab from Hayate, switched grips so his katana was in his left hand, swung a large arc towards where Hayate stopped in his tracks. He heard the parry blow from his attack but that's what he wanted. Even though he was blind at the moment, Kotero knew the surroundings well enough to take advantage. Using his superior strength to keep Hayate from moving, he twirled from his spot and gave a kick with his right leg into Hayate's torso.

Hayate had the air blown out of as he skidded back, berating himself for being reckless as to getting caught by his blind opponent. Kotero opened his eyes and thankfully his eyesight was only a little fuzzy. He jumped back to a safer distance and retook his defensive stance, waiting for the attack to come to him.

The Hokage was watching with great interest, he was by no means an expert in kenjutsu but he is a master at boajutsu, so he knows this is a good fight. He couldn't help but not notice how calm and collected was, how he was soaking in every detail of Hayate, to make a plan to defeat him.

 _'Even when he was blinded by Hayate's attack, he still took advantage of the situation and delivered a hard kick to Hayate's chest. He's very skilled. And he told me he used two swords. If he's this good at using just one, I really want to know how good he is with two?'_ the Hokage thought.

Hayate was thrown off by the skill of the young man, he wanted to end this now. He got into a new stance and swung his sword in a circle. " **Dance of the crescent moon** ," Hayate said under his breath. Suddenly two more Hayates appeared out of nowhere and all three charged at Kotero, in different directions all going into motion for different swings of their blades.

Kotero knew that three enemies versus him were not good odds, even if two of them were shadow clones. He looked around to think of a quick plan. As the Hayates closed the distance on Kotero, they all timed their strikes so they would all hit at the same time. Kotero waited till the very last moment to initiate his assault. He quickly whipped out Sapphire and swirled in flurry of red flashes, a small whirlwind picked from his feet because he moved so fast. He then appeared behind Hayate, sheathing Sapphire.

The shadow clones popped out of existence and the real Hayate collapsed on the ground, barely keeping himself together, struggling to keep upright. He looked down on his uniform and noticed hundreds of mini cuts, blood dripping out of his body, and his jacket, shirt and sleeves torn up like tissue paper. Cold steel suddenly appeared on the left side of his throat. "Concede," was all he heard before he fell into unconsciousness and hit the ground hard.

The Hokage was gobsmacked, as soon as Kotero took out his second sword, the match went completely his way. Hayate's strongest attack was completely useless against Kotero. It was also the speed Kotero moved by that was frightening as well, he hasn't seen someone so young move that fast in a very long time. He got out of the shade from the tree he was residing and walked over to the duo. He saw Kotero sheathing his katana and then proceeding to heal the wounds that he inflicted on Hayate.

"That was most impressive Kotero, I didn't expect such a dramatic ending," Hiruzen said with a smile, he motioned ANBU to come by his side. "Tora, once Kotero has given Hayate first-aid I want you to bring him to the hospital so he can get checked out."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," the tiger masked ANBU walked so he was he was next to Kotero. After a minute of waiting, Kotero gave the sleeping Hayate to the ANBU. He then vanished leaving the old man and the redhead to themselves.

"Now we have to wait for Kakashi. I'm sorry about my tardy shinobi Kotero-kun. I told him to be here on time, even with a threat. But there's no way he's going to change in a day huh?"

"Ah, it's all good Jiji, you can tell some of your stories, the real juicy stuff from your career," Kotero said with excitement.

"Ah, I think I got one, how about I tell you about my battle with the Sandaime-Tsuchikage!" he looked over to Kotero was staring attentively at the old man, with eyes wide open. The chance to listen to the details of a Kage battle, Kotero had to take the chance with both of his hands.

The Hokage and the Uzumaki went over to a large tree by the lake and sat under the cool shade. There Hiruzen began his tale of the battles between Konoha and Iwagakure in the first shinobi war. He told him how both he and the Tsuchikage were both just Jōnin of their respective villages and this was their first experience of large-scale war. He then went on how both men dwindled down each other's forces until they both ordered their troops to retreat while they fought their own battle.

Both men fought long and hard, Hiruzen with his mastery over fire ninjutsu and his partnership with his main summon Emna and Onoki with his earth jutsu and developing Jinton, a kekkei-Tōta with consists of fire, wind and earth release in a combination. At that stage, it wasn't complete but the aged Hokage drilled the point down that it could still vaporise a man in milliseconds. At the end of the battle both men were exhausted and retreated themselves, no longer fit for fighting.

Kotero was soaking in every detail with star-filled eyes, he has never heard such intense battle, expected from two Kages, he truly wished he was there to watch what happened. Then two men waited in a peaceful silence, appreciating the nature in front of them.

At two o'clock on the dot, Kakashi appeared in the clearing two hours late. Both the Hokage and Kotero sensed him, they got up and walked over to the one-eyed Jōnin who was reading an orange book while perversely giggling.

The Hokage coughed into his hand, making Kakashi look at him. Kakashi noted that his leader had quite a large tick mark on his face so he had to think of an excuse quick, _'Which one? The "black cat" one or "got lost on the road of life" … oh I know what to say now!'_ he thoguht before he coughed into his hand.

"Sorry, I was walking down the road of life, I took a left and ended up in the Land of Hot Water so I had to run all the way back here," Kakashi said. _'Hope they buy it!'_ Kakashi thought while showing his trademark eye-smile.

The Hokage did not look amused, he knew the paperwork was piling up and for every minute Kakashi was late, a new stack of papers probably came to the office to further torment him. Kotero bursted out laughing and grabbing his stomach, nearly tripping himself up from the ridiculous excuse. "You can't be serious with that excuse, can ya?" Kotero laughingly said out loud while pointing his finger at Kakashi.

The Hokage just sighed, "Don't be surprised, this happens quite often," he said while disappointment was written all over his face.

"You know it's rude to point at people," Kakashi said, trying to put himself in a better light.

"I know that much but it's even ruder to be two hours late for a meeting," Kotero quickly responded.

"Touché," Kakashi said with some defeat.

"Ah it doesn't matter," Kotero said while waving his right hand in front of him, "The name is Uzumaki Kotero, Hokage-sama says you're one of the strongest ninja in the village," he then put his right hand forward, ready for a handshake.

Kakashi returned the gesture and gave another eye-smile. "Nice to meet you Kotero-san, I'm Hatake Kakashi," he told Kotero.

Hiruzen made his way to Kakshi and pulled down Kakashi's ear. "Don't use your full powers. We just want to see his skills. Nobody needs to die," he said.

Kakashi nodded slowly and then felt his ear once the Hokage had let go of it. He rubbed it softly, there was a hint of pain with the pinch.

"Alright you two," Hiruzen suddenly spoke up, both men straightening up their backs and turned to face him. "This will be a match between you two, like last time Kotero no major cuts, cutting limbs or destroying bodies, same applies to you Kakashi. This is just a test. Kotero for this match, you're banned from using your swords, I want to see your other skills. Alright now, get in positions, I'll act as proctor" he declared.

Kakashi and Kotero walked into the clearing leaving a large distance between them, and then both stared each other down. The Hokage looked at them before announcing "Uzumaki Kotero versus Hatake Kakashi. Begin!" he shouted before jumping back.

A leaf was slowly falling to bushy glass, as soon it hit, both ninja speeded away towards each other. Closing the distance, Kotero and Kakashi started their fight with taijutsu. They were going at it for a good minute, Kotero following Kakashi's speed for his Whirl-fist.

In the minute of battle, Kotero was trying his best to analyse Kakashi's style so he could do a combo attack, however he had very little success. All he could tell was that it was a fusion of two fighting styles melded into one. His defence was good and his attacks were fast and strong but they were predictable.

Kakashi was in the same boat, he has never fought some using Kotero's fighting style so all he could do was go with the flow. He noticed that Kotero used a lot of elbows and knee strikes, while using punches to either feint to get in close or use kicks to give him distance.

This went on for a while. Until, Kotero slowed down after he dodged Kakashi's high kick, shifting to the right. Kakashi was thrown off by the unorthodox movement. This is all Kotero needed. His speed exploded, targeting Kakashi's right side, he grappled his right arm in a two-arm bind. Pulled him closer to the ground while raising a chakra enhanced right knee-strike to Kakashi's ribcage. Splinters and pieces of bark went flying everywhere as a log was in Kakashi's place was completely obliterated.

After using the substitution and now hiding in a thick bush, Kakashi's lone eye was popping out. _'What strength and speed, I better not underestimate him anymore! Ok, let's go for a genjutsu now,'_ Kakashi thought.

Kakashi lifted his forehead protecter and revealed a red eye with three black tomoe marks, his sharingan. Getting in position he performed **Demonic illusion: Tree binding death**. Suddenly, Kotero was trapped by a tree as bark gripped his wrists and ankles. Kakashi appeared through the tree above the redhead with a kunai in his hand. Kotero's reaction time allowed him to instantly cut his chakra flow, and then it erupted, breaking the illusion but he wasn't out of danger yet, Kakashi was on him like a hawk.

A kunai in his right-hand ready to strike Kotero in the back. Kotero swirled on his right foot, now facing the masked nin. As Kakashi swung his kunai at Kotero, it was parried by a short blade, appearing out of nowhere underneath Kotero's right wrist. It turns out that at the last moment, Kotero sent chakra to his right wrist brace, activating a hidden blade. Both ninja jumped back to give each other some distance.

They looked at each other for only a second before Kakashi flashed throught the hand seals needed for a large-scale water jutsu. _' **Water style: Water dragon bullet** ,'_ Kakashi thought, ending with the bird hand seal. A huge water dragon formed from the lake behind Kakashi and threw itself at Kotero. It's glowing eerie eyes looking deadly in front of its prey. However, there was plenty of time for Kotero to use his own substitution, a shadow clone that was formed after he broke from Kakashi's genjutsu. It switched places with the original. A loud crash was heard when the dragon smacked the ground.

Before the dust cloud cleared, Kakashi moved into the site, thinking he got his opponent, however he was ambushed by three Koteros, coming to attack him. The two shadow clones coming from the sides and the original coming straight at him. The next moment, Kakashi whipped out two shuriken, flowed his lightening chakra through the metal stars and flung them at the two approaching redheads advancing from the sides. The shuriken travelled at deadly speeds and the two clones puffed out of existence after they were penetrated. The original Kotero and Kakashi now resumed their taijutsu bout.

Both now fighting fiercely, trying to gain the upper hand. Kotero noticed that Kakashi was predicting his attacks now as they were coming and countering them beautifully and mercifully. Any move he would do, Kakashi could simply dodge or counter with a quick punch combo. It was making Kotero infuriated to no end. ' _What can I do now? Anything I throw at him, he just uses it against me. Slippery bastard. I don't want to deactivate my weight and gravity seals. It would take too long, he could knock me out then. Well it looks like we're going to go for brute strength from now on!'_ Kotero thought.

Kotero dodged narrowly form Kakashi's ruthless strikes and gathered a large amount of Chakra in his right fist and arm. The muscles were under intense tension and Kotero released it, as His fist then impacted the ground and he yelled " **Fissure fist**."

The whole ground shook as if it was under an earthquake. Both the Hokage and Kakashi lost their footing and were truly surprised from the raw strength displayed by the young Uzumaki. Some trees were uprooted because the ground was splitting apart, huge spider web cracks were appearing left and right.

 _'This reminds me of Tsunade and her fits of anger. If his mother was the one who taught him this… power, I would fear her too,'_ Hiruzen thought as he was balancing himself from the shifting ground, still shocked from the damage.

The clearing in the training ground was now in complete pieces, fissure marks and spider web cracks everywhere, a couple of trees have fallen. The nearby lake was swashing about as the shockwave calming down. Kakashi used a chakra enhanced jump to get in the air as if he stayed on the ground, he would be disorientated and his defence would be wide open.

Now searching for his foe, he prepared for his next attack. However, Kotero made no appearance, _'Come on, where the hell are you?'_ Kakashi thoguht _._ Kakashi landed on the ground but was completely immobilized by an invisible force. Turning his eyes, he saw four seal tags around him, forming a square. A large frown appearing on his face, he willed his body to try to escape, but none of his muscles weren't budging an inch. Kotero appeared out of nowhere from Kakashi's side, he had his hidden blade activated against Kakashi's throat.

"This match is over. Winner is Kotero," the Hokage shouted from the tree. Now walking toward the two men he had quite a smile on his face. In the meantime, Kotero deactivated the seals he used on Kakashi and caught him while he went to the ground. His tensed muscle reacting to the sudden change caused him to fall. Kotero proceeded to give Kakashi first-aid, thankfully neither party damaged the other much. Kakashi looked up at the redhead in slight awe. He hasn't been in a fun fight that intense in a long time.

The Hokage stopped in front of them and smoked a bit of pipe before speaking. "Well done you two, honestly I didn't expect such a great fight. However, Kotero I must know, how did you get Kakashi in your last move?" he asked with curiosity dripping from his voice.

Kotero stood up suddenly and started doing a few stretches, smiling to the Hokage. "I had four shadow clones made with seal tags ready to use on Kakashi as soon as he landed. The seal tags being the ' **Immobilising seals of the Mountains'**. The original, gorgeous man you're looking at, transformed into a rock and one of the clones placed me beside Kakashi during the sealing process. When he was sealed I just used the opportunity to attack. I only got the chance cause of the huge dust cloud from my last attack obstructing Kakashi's vision," he said after he put his hands on his hips.

Both Kakashi and Hokage were greatly impressed with Kotero's ingenuity, it's clear he's a most skilled ninja.

Having used Kotero's arm as a support, Kakashi climbed himself up. He gave an eye-smile and shoulder pat to the Uzumaki. "That was a great fight Kotero, we definitely need to spar more often. You got me good with that trap. Though that wasn't my best effort," he looked down in shame, "I've gotten too lazy with my training after I left ANBU. Now I need to work harder so you don't show me up!" Kakashi declared with determination filling his lone eye.

"Yeah, we will. That was the most fun I had in a long time. I wonder what we could get up to if we go all out?" Kotero finished with a huge smile.

The two others paled slightly when they heard, the Hokage was the first to speak up. "You mean you weren't fighting a hundred percent in this fight!? Surely you jest, I find it hard to believe you have more in you than you showed in the fight," Hiruzen said with surprise in his voice.

Kotero looked appalled that his new friend, the Hokage, didn't believe him. He looked at him and Kakashi. "Well I know for certain Kakashi didn't fight to his fullest either. He is cleary stronger than what he showed here. He admitted he is rusty here and there, but still I can sense he has a lot more skill then what I saw in the fight. Why should I go to my best potential? We could destroy half of Konoha if we weren't careful," Kotero said with crossed arms.

Kakashi was speechless from the words. ' _If I had used all of my strength at the start, I wonder what would have happened. Would I win or would Kotero? I need to find out sometime soon. I have never met someone who didn't belong to a hidden village be so strong. What did he go through to get this strong?'_ he thought.

They all chuckled and started to leave the training grounds. They all had smiles on their faces and the Hokage was sucking his pipe dry. "Kotero, I have to say I'm most impressed with the show of skills you displayed today. You must have worked long and hard for them."

"Thank you Hokage-sama. It's true what you say, I did work long and hard. After my Tou-chan died, I wanted to get as strong as possible so I could protect my Mother from any danger."

"That is a good reason to get strong, ninja today get strong to fulfil their egos, or for greedy and selfish pleasures or even because they find destruction enjoyable. I'm glad you have a different resolve."

The three men arrived at the Hokage tower. Kakashi was keeping quiet, waiting to be dismissed. The aged leader looked at his tired Jōnin. "Kakashi, I'll need you to go to the council meeting today to tell the council about Kotero's skills. The meeting will be at four o'clock, alright?"

"I'll be there Hokage-sama. I will be taking my leave then," Kakashi did a quick bow to his leader and went off his way. "See you later Kotero," he then vanished from the spot via a body-flicker.

The Hokage lead Kotero to his office. When they entered he took his seat behind his desk and Kotero took the chair just opposite. The Hokage looked at the mountain range of paperwork on his desk grimacingly. He took a deep breath and looked at his newest ninja with proud eyes.

"Well Kotero, it gives me great pleasure to bestow the rank of Chūnin to you," the Hokage, Hiruzen, said as he took out a document with Kotero's credentials on it, and a dark grey Chūnin vest. He pulled out his drawer and took a forehead protecter with blue cloth and put it on top of the vest beside the scroll. He then got up and presented the items to Kotero.

Kotero graciously accepted the vest and headband and immediately put them on. He then put the scroll into his side pouch.

He looked at himself in the mirror that was in the office, smirking. ' _Damn I look good!_ ' he thought. He spun his head to his new leader. "How do I look Jiji?" he asked while his arms were spread out, displaying himself off as if he was a piece of art.

Hiruzen chuckled at the actions and sat back down on his comfy leather chair. "You look good, like a Konoha ninja," he answered with a smile.

"Ok enough of this, where is my Aunt Jiji, I want to see her!" Kotero said as he sat down, tapping his toes against the floor.

Hiruzen's face became very gloomy, this was the moment he has been dreading since Kotero has come to Konoha. He took a deep sigh, trying to construct the words he needs to say carefully. He doesn't want his new friend to blow a fuse and destroy the tower with his fists.

"Kotero, I need you to stay quiet for the for a few, ok?" Receiving a confused look from the redhead, in the next second he gets a slow nod, telling him to continue. "Your Aunt, Uzumaki Kushina died ten years ago during the Kyūbi attack. She died in the process of the protection of the Village," the Hokage said sadly.

Kotero tensed, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "So, the Kyūbi attack really did happen, there was so little information outside of Konoha on what happened during the events. So, what happened to my Aunt's seal?" Kotero asked.

Hiruzen was now the one to tense up, "What do you mean Kotero?" he said.

Kotero took out an aged scroll with the leaf symbol and Uzumaki clan symbol on it and laid it down on the Hokage's desk. "Don't play stupid Jiji. This is a letter. It was in my grandfather's possession. It was the agreement to send my Aunt here to become the next Jinchūriki since second great-Aunt Mito was near the end of her age and because Aunt Kushina's special chakra. So, I'll ask again, what happened to my Aunt's seal?" Kotero said with steel in his voice.

The Hokage was taken back of how quickly Kotero's attitude changed, not that he could blame him. He knew now wasn't the time for arguments. "Your Aunt was pregnant. As you must now, the seal weakens when a female Jinchūriki goes into labour. The seal broke, the Kyūbi was released and went on a rampage in the village, killing hundreds and destroying buildings. Thankfully Yondiame-sama sealed the fowl best in a new born babe and-" Hiruzen said before he saw a raised hand.

He was cut off by Kotero, "So… My little cousin became the next Jinchūriki huh!" he said with no emotion in his voice.

"Yes, your little cousin is the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune," Hiruzen said glumly. "Is that a problem?"

Kotero was sitting in his chair, processing information a mile a second. His expression going from happy, to sad, quickly to frustrated and then calm. "How is he treated in the village. Don't sugar coat anything!" he tried to say in his most calming voice. He ignored the Hokage's question and asked another one instead.

Hiruzen struggled to get his words out as he hated to talk about Naruto's troubles so much. However, Kotero needed to know, he was his family. "When he was younger he had nobody to care of him. He stayed on the streets for only just a few months until I found him near a ramen stand, all alone. It was clear that he was malnourished and he was only wearing old clothes. How could you blame the child when he had no real knowledge on how to take care of himself? It was my fault as much as anyone else's for not taking care of him properly.

Naruto was subjected to some abuse, only minor things such as food or some small items being thrown at him. He was saved by my ANBU but that didn't stop the people for targeting him in various ways. It was clear that the whole village ignored and feared him. It was neglect that made Naruto suffer more than anything else.

When he was seven years old, I got him his own apartment and had a full guard detail on him. Hopefully when he became a Genin, he wouldn't need them. Though, the shops still detest him, they overcharge him or kick him out completely. The only people who serve him and treat him well are the people who own the ramen stand incidentally. Most people in the village believe he is the monster fox reincarnate," Hiruzen struggled to say.

 ** _WHOOSH!_**

Kotero was struggling to keep calm throughout. The ignorant villagers treating his kid cousin if he was some type of cancer has made him angrier than he ever was. This finger nails were digging so hard into his palm that blood was leaking out. He was gritting his teeth so roughly he wouldn't be surprised if they cracked because of the pressure. His eyebrows were furrowed so much and the snarl his face wore made him into a man with the scariest face the Hokage has ever seen in quite some time. It was the last sentence that truly pissed Kotero off. His dam, that was keeping his emotions in check completely broke away and his chakra exploded from him. Papers were flying around and moving away from Kotero. The Hokage had to commend his newest ninja, the intense pressure from his chakra was impressing.

Cooling down, he breathed in and out slowly. Kotero composed himself. "So, nobody loves him?" Kotero said, more of a statement then a question.

"Well I do, I treat him if he's my own grandson. However, with my job I barely get time to spend time with my own grandson," the Hokage said depressingly.

There was silence for all but a minute. "I want Naruto and I to live together. I need him but honestly, he definitely needs me more. And don't worry about money, I have tons," Kotero exclaimed, crossing his arms across his chest and sternly gazing at the Hokage. He was not going to take no for an answer.

Hiruzen tapped his fingers on his wooden desk and just sighed. "Very well, have a look at the listings here for houses and apartments". He took a sheet of paper filled with vacant vacancies and gave it to Kotero.

Kotero quickly scanned through it. He saw one property that peeked his interests greatly. A double story house, with three bedrooms, a large study, joint kitchen and living space, basement and large clearing out in back for training. The price was hefty though, one hundred and thirty-five million ryó.

' _Thank God,'_ Kotero thought knowing he saved up from doing jobs all through the years. He was going to be broke after this.

"I'll take this one. It has everything we will need," Kotero said as he circled the property with an ink brush and gave it back to the Hokage.

"Kotero, promise me that you will not reveal to Naruto that he is the Jinchūriki. It's an S-class secret in the village. I don't anymore stress to be put on his life now."

"Fine, I understand. So, when can I meet the squirt?" Kotero said with excitement. He can't wait to meet his little cousin.

The Hokage couldn't help but let his lips be tugged up when he heard Kotero. "Well it's already afternoon. I can set you two to meet up tomorrow morning. I'll send a letter to his homeroom teacher Iruka to tell him Naruto has business with you. Now I have to do paperwork until the council meeting at six."

"Didn't you say to Kakashi it was at four Jiji?" Kotero asked with confusion on his face.

"I did Kotero-kun but he's always late by two hours, so with crossed fingers, he'll be there!" the Hokage said with a small smile.

Both men laughed out loud. Kotero got up, and stretched and popped his bones. "Thank you Jiji, I'll make ya proud," he said. Kotero then left for the door and went back to his Hotel. The Hokage smoked a bit of his pipe and went off to do paperwork at break neck speeds.

* * *

 **Council Chambers**

It was six o'clock in the evening, the sun was setting and the dusk was looming over the village of Konoha. The clan heads of Konoha were entering the council chambers inside the Hokage tower. When the Hokage entered the room, he scanned it from left to right. He saw Aburame Shibi, Akiminchi Chōza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, Hyuuga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume and then past his chair he sees his old team-mates Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, finally he sees his old bandaged up rival Shimura Danzō. In the back, he sees the ANBU commander minding his own business. He takes his place in the centre of the room and two ANBU guards closed the doors.

"Now that everybody is here let us get this council meeting started," The Hokage announced, taking off his hat and putting it in front of him.

"And what is this meeting about Hiruzen?" Koharu asked the obvious question that was on everybody's mind.

"Well, I was getting to that! If you would just have a bit of patience I would have gotten to it already!" the Hokage gruffly said, hating when this happens, as it always happened in these meetings. "The reason on why we are gathered here today is to talk about the addition of a new ninja into our Village."

Murmurs were heard throughout the room, the only ones silent were Inoichi and the Hokage. A "troublesome," was heard from the Nara clan head.

"Well Hiruzen are you going to tell us who it is?" Homura asked.

"His name is Uzumaki Kotero," the Hokage said. While looking around him, he couldn't help but notice there was an eerie silence in the room.

"Troublesome clan, they refuse to die, even after all they've been through," Shikaku said while scratching his chin with his knuckles.

"Is he a spy?" Homura inquired.

A frown appeared on the Hokage's face. "Well it would be stupid if I let him in if he was a spy. No, he's far from it. Inoichi and Ibiki did their jobs and they determined he's as clean as a whistle. Also, if he was a spy, he would be doing a terrible job, he's only been in my office, his hotel room, training grounds seven where he was with me and according to the ANBU watching him the local sushi bar getting a takeaway. This is the report that Inoichi wrote up on Kotero's interrogation," the Hokage said.

He then got up and passed the report to the elder council, who skimmed through before Koharu gave the report to Shibi, who read through the report as well. Giving it to the next clan head, this process repeated until the report got back to the Hokage.

Chōza was the first to speak, "From the report it seems young Kotero had some rough encounters with Iwa and Kumo nin. At least we know he's not affiliated with them," he said.

"And we are allies to Suna so they don't need an outsider to spy on us. Kiri is out of the question as they are still going through a civil war. So far this man has nothing against him," Hiashi added his piece after reading the report.

"Well as long he doesn't fuck Konoha over, I see no problem with him in the village," Tsume barked out.

"Tsume-san Language! This is a meeting not a social call!" the Hokage quipped.

"Well as troublesome as it is, how skilled is Kotero-san, he must be impressive if he's already a ninja here," Shikaku said with a bored expression.

"Well, earlier today, I had two Jōnin test him out. Gekko Hayate tested Kotero in his kenjutsu and I had Hatake Kakashi battle with him afterwards. It was honestly, quite the spectacle," the Hokage admitted.

To everyone's surprise, it was the usually stoic Hiashi who spoke up, "How so Hokage-sama? I would assume everyone in this room will definitely want to know how well he performed!" he said.

"Fine I'll tell you what happened today, and Kakashi will tell all of you about his fight when I send him in," the aged Hokage said with his hands laced together.

Everyone shifted in their seats to get in a more comfortable position, waiting patiently for the Hokage to begin the story. Hiruzen cleared his throat to gather the attention to him. "Myself and Kotero went to training ground seven to evaluate his skills. He himself and from Inoichi's report stated that he was skilled with a sword so I had Hayate come down so they could fight. Kotero told me before, that his sword style was an evolved Uzumaki style with two swords but he only drew out one at the start of the match.

They both battled hard and Hayate used one of his sword techniques, making his sword shine like a beacon of light. He blinded Kotero but it didn't do anything for Hayate's advantage. Kotero told me he used his sensory ability to see where he was coming from and enhanced his hearing so he can hear his footsteps. He then dodged Hayate's strike, beautify countered it, kicked him in the torso and got some distance between them still blinded. Then Hayate used his famous technique with his shadow clones.

By at that time, Kotero drew out his other sword, and waited for Hayate to strike him. Then in a flurry of flashes, he appeared behind him with his blade at Hayate's throat. Cuts appeared all over his body and his uniform was turned to rags. He had to be brought to hospital to get bandaged up. I honestly didn't expect him to beat our Kenjutsu expert so… quickly after he took out his other sword. It was a good fight to watch from the side-lines," the Hokage told the council.

The council were silent throughout the story, soaking in every detail. After the story was finished, all the clan heads were now very interested and were keen on finding out more about the unknown Uzumaki.

"Neko! Send in Kakashi in now," The Hokage said to his ANBU guards. The doors opened and the silver-haired Jōnin came into the room. Kakashi walked towards the others but stopped in the centre. He looked tired and his face's expression showed that he was quite bored.

"Kakashi, thank you for coming, please give a quick report on your fight. It's late and I still need to do some office work," the Hokage said with a hint of urgency to his voice.

"Evening esteemed council," Kakashi bowed after. "Today, Hokage-sama requested for me to test out the skills of our newest ninja Uzumaki Kotero. We started out the fight in taijutsu. I had difficulty with his fighting style which I can only assume is his clan style. This went on for a while until he pulled a move to throw me off, he then grappled me and proceeded to knee-strike.

Thankfully I used a substitution and a log was in my place, because the log was completely shredded from his attack. I then used my sharingan to put him under a B-rank genjutsu but his reaction time and genjutsu counter was fantastic as he got out of it quickly. I was going to attack him from behind but he knew of the attack. He parried my attack and we both put distance between ourselves.

Because I was by the lake I used a heavy-duty water jutsu. The water came at him at great speed but he substituted himself with a shadow clone that he created when he broke out of the genjutsu. It was an intelligent move because I went into the site of attack to investigate but was ambushed by two Shadow clone Koteros and the real one. I destroyed the shadow clones, then Kotero and I returned our Taijutsu bout. With my sharingan in play, it was easier to fight him but his style was still very fluid and hard to predict. I was getting hits in and I could tell he was starting to get annoyed by it. He then progressed to using a super chakra enhanced punch to the ground disturb the pace of the battle.

The damage was immense and I had to jump away. I was trying to find Kotero in the air but there were dust clouds everywhere obscuring my view. When I landed, I was frozen solid, couldn't move a muscle. Kotero used four shadow clones to put down four of his immobilizing seal tags around the instant I had hit the ground. And a fifth Kotero puffed out of a henged rock to put a blade to my throat. I shouldn't have underestimated him, he won fair and square. We both admitted I was rusty and because neither of us could go a hundred percent the match could have gone differently. That is all I have to report Hokage-sama," Kakashi with a deep sigh, his mouth was dry from all the talking.

The Clan heads and council were again thinking in silence. This man just defeated two of their Jōnin in two separate fights. They would have to be a fool not to take him in into the village.

Shibi broke the silence, something that rarely happens. "It would be very illogical to not let in Uzumaki-san. Hatake-san, how would you describe him and how would you rate his skills," he asked.

Kakashi pondered for a moment before answering in a cheerful voice, "Honestly so far, Kotero is a cool guy, care-free and funny when being normal but deadly serious in a fight. If I had to rate him… he would easily be Jōnin in skill. His taijutsu is fantastic for someone not specialising in it. We know of his exploits in Kenjutsu. He is most likely a seal-master to use such advanced sealing tags and the other aspects of being a ninja is there. The only thing I say he lacks is a ninjutsu arsenal as he didn't use any jutsu apart from shadow clones and transformation techniques, it's clear he's never had experience with working in a team as he never had the chance because he was never part of a hidden village," he told the council.

The members of the council were agreeing with the copy-nin's assessment. Hiruzen then spoke up. "I already gave the rank of Chūnin to Kotero. When he gains more experience, we'll see if he earns the rank of Jōnin. I said it would most likely be a year but from what I saw and heard from you Kakashi, it could be even six months instead. As protocol, we need to have Kotero under probation before he can participate in any ranking mission. So, I am declaring a one-month probation watch over Kotero with one squad of ANBU following him. Do we agree?" he asked.

"Of course, Hokage-sama," all but one said one said.

"Something the matter Danzō?" The Hokage asked the bandaged man.

"No, it matters little how long he stays in the village. As far as I can see he is a useful tool for the village and he is too much of a benefit to let go," Danzō replied sternly.

The Hokage just sighed when he heard this, he has always hated Danzō's views and philosophies with the ninja body and how the village should be run. However, there was the praise for his new redheaded ninja so it would be the best he got out of the man.

"He has already done the papers for a new property in the village but he's staying in the hotel for tonight. That's it for this meeting. You all can be dismissed!"

* * *

 **The Next Day**

"Jiji, when will he be here, I want to see him!" Kotero ranted as he paced up and down the Hokage's office.

"Kotero, don't worry he should be at any moment, Iruka got the message and sent Naruto on his way here," Hiruzen said for the second time in five minutes.

Kotero was getting restless and went over to the Hokage's desk, resting his hip on it, slouching with his arms crossed over his chest. He glanced into the mirror to check himself out. He was wearing his usual outfit. He sewn a new black cloth on his forehead protecter, the man was quite picky with his clothes and he didn't like the fact that the cloths didn't match, so he had to make amends.

"Anyway, remember what I said about what happened with you and Gero Onsen. I don't want to hear something like that from you any time near the future," Hiruzen warned.

Kotero sighed and rubbed his temples. "I was hoping you wouldn't hear or know about that. I'll do my best Jiji," he said.

All of a sudden, the door of the office slammed open and a short blond kid walks into the room like he owned the place. He was wearing blue sandals and shorts. He also wore a white t-shirt with the Uzumaki clan symbol under an orange hoodie with short blue sleeves on them. On top of his head were a pair of black-tinted googles.

Closing the door behind him. "YO JIJI! Why am I in your office I haven't done a prank all week like ya asked dattebayo! Unless you want to give your hat away, I want to know why I'm here!" he blurted out.

Hiruzen began to laugh, the audacity of the kid was something that always made the old man smile. "Naruto, there is someone here I would like you meet," he said, pointing at Kotero.

Naruto saw the much taller man and waltz upped to him. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Future Hokage of Konoha. Who are you?" he asked.

Kotero was studying intently at Naruto's appearance. He had to say it was quite… unique. He then noticed, six whisker marks, three on each cheek. _'Must be an effect from the Kyūbi,'_ Kotero thought.

He then put his hip off the desk and crouched down to Naruto. Meeting Naruto's eyes with his own. "Nice to meet you Naruto," he put his fist in front of him, ready for a fist bump, "My name is Uzumaki Kotero," Kotero said with a smile.

Naruto was visibly shocked when he heard his own family name. "Uzumaki? Why do you have my name?" he asked.

"Why do you think? We're cousins, you know what that means, we're family!" Kotero told him.

Naruto's thought process was running a mile a second. He declared to himself long ago that he had no real family, no family whatsoever. It made it easier to deal with his suffering that he experienced through his short life. Now his world is flipped upside down, out of nowhere, a real person was claiming to be his family. It was too much for him to bear and he broke down in an uncontrollable state of crying.

Kotero immediately hugged Naruto fiercely, picking him up from the floor, he started to rub his back to try to calm him down. Kotero couldn't blame his little cousin, he has been suffering for a decade, it was too intense for the blond. After five minutes and a soaked shoulder, Naruto calmed himself down so it was just a few sniffles.

He looked up at Kotero with watery oceanic blue eyes. "Where have you been? I've been alone for so long, I suffered so much pain and hatred. Being called a demon or monster for no reason. It hurts so much! WHERE WERE YOU!?" he shouted at end.

Kotero was getting watery eyed now. The state that his little cousin in was causing his heart so much pain, it felt similar to getting stabbed by a million hot senbon needles in the heart. He looked into Naruto's eyes, his own eyes trying to conjure up as much love and affection as possible. "Naruto, I only just found out about you. Don't worry though, because you are never going to be alone again. Today we're going to be brothers, who always look after each other. Do you think you can do that? Good. From now on, the pain that you suffer, we suffer together. We're going to eat together, hang out with each other, train and do lots of crazy shit! I'm going to be there for you."

Kotero took a breath and then poked Naruto's heart. "All I want is for you to be there for me too," he softly spoke with pure emotion lacing his words.

Both Uzumaki boys hugged each other with such passion and love that their respective backs were cracked.

Hiruzen was in the back of the room, he knew he had no part in this family reunion. All he could do was smile and dry one up some of the escaped tears that came from his eyes. _'I think everything will be alright from now on,'_ he thought with happiness.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	2. Chapter 2 - Ancestry

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto.**_ _ **All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 2 - Ancestry**

"Kotero-niichan, where are we going?" Naruto gleefully cheered while being carried on Kotero's shoulders.

"Training grounds seven, I want to get to know my little brother, and we're going to need a nice quiet space, so we can talk. Now hold on tight!" Kotero said while dashing. Naruto tightened his grip and Kotero swiftly rocketed ahead.

The new two brothers quickly blurred to their destination with Kotero moving at break neck speeds. He stopped dead in his tracks when they arrived at the entrance to the training grounds. Naruto's world was spinning upside down.

"Did ya enjoy that Naruto?" Kotero asked with a huge grin.

"Hahaha yeah Kotero-nii, God that was fast!" Naruto giggled as he jumped off his brother's back.

The duo went over to the crystal-clear lake, the sunlight was brightly reflecting off the surface of the water. There were barely any clouds in the sky. The temperature was picking up as the day travelled further in time. Kotero and Naruto took their seats just beside the bank of the lake. A tall tree's branches were providing shade for them.

"So, Naruto tell me about yourself," Kotero asked his new little brother. ' _This should get the ball rolling!_ ' he thought.

"Eh, I don't really know what to say dattebayo?"

"Come on just tell me anything!" Kotero asked with an encouraging voice.

"Hm, well my name is Uzumaki Naruto, I like Kotero-nii and ramen, especially from Ichirku. I hate the three minutes for the ramen to cook and the looks of the villagers give me. And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage! So that everyone in the village has to respect me!" Naruto yelled with a fist pump in the air.

Kotero was smiling like a madman, trying his hardest not to laugh on his ass. ' _My little brother is a ramen addict!'_ Kotero thought.

Stifling a small giggle, he looked in Naruto's eyes. "Hokage huh? That's a pretty big dream kid. You think you got what it takes to be one?" Kotero asked.

Naruto's eyes were filled with determination. "Of course I do! I'm going to get super strong and fast, learn powerful jutsu and kick ass. Then I'll become Hokage!" He declared.

"I love the confidence Naruto. And I for one will help you get there," Kotero told him.

"What about you Kotero-nii?" Naruto asked.

"Well I like training, learning, you Naruto, our clan and sushi. My dislikes are mornings and people who belittle others even if they have no control over it. My hobbies are training, researching, taking naps and making people happy. I don't have a dream now but I always wanted a big family," Kotero said.

Naruto smiled hugely after Kotero said those words. However, there was something on his mind since they first met. "Kotero-nii, how are we related?" he asked.

"That's quite simple Naruto. Our mothers were sisters. So that means we are first cousins," Kotero explained.

"Are you sure? I never knew my mom and Hokage-Jiji told me he never knew my mom," Naruto pointed out.

"Naruto, he only told you that for your own safety," Kotero sadly told him.

"My safety? What would my safety have to do with my mom?" Naruto asked, pure confusion written all over his face.

Kotero started to scratch the back of his head. ' _I can't tell him that his mother became the Jinchūriki before him cause second Great-Aunt Mito was dying. Huh it runs in the family doesn't it. I guess I have to give him some half-truths,'_ Kotero thought with a shaky smile _._

"Naruto, let me tell you a story alright. Years ago, my Aunt, your Kaa-chan was sent to Konoha. It was agreed between our clan and the village. She came here and became a fine kunoichi according to Jiji.

In fact, during the third great shinobi war, she was a force to be reckoned with. Especially to Kumo as they lost many men and women to your Kaa-chan's skill. Your Kaa-chan also had special chakra, she had the ability to form Uzumaki Adamantine Sealing Chains which were a rare ability only found in our family. They are fantastic when restraining enemies and highly destructive in attack. Nobody knows how to truly awaken them, some speculate that it is through an episode of pure and intense emotion like anger, but Aunt Kushina had them naturally," Kotero said.

Taking a breather, he looked at Naruto, he saw that he had his full attention. "So, you see Naruto, your Kaa-chan was a badass kunoichi who had a lot of enemies. If they found out that you were her son, they could possibly take up their pent-up frustrations on you, hurting or even killing you. That's why Jiji didn't tell you. He didn't want to get you killed," Kotero explained to Naruto in full detail.

"So, you're saying that my Kaa-chan was super powerful," Naruto said with an excited voice and star-filled eyes. His body was shaking hearing that his mother was a badass kunoichi. Receiving a nod from his new big brother. "Sweet! I gotta get strong so I can do her proud ttebayo," he shouted at the top of his lungs. He was running around while punching the air.

Letting his new little brother have his moment of happiness, Kotero rummaged through his to get a sealing scroll. "Oi Naruto come here," he said.

"Yeah what is it Nii-chan?" running over with his tiny legs to sit beside Kotero.

"This is a picture of your Kaa-chan when she was around your age," Kotero said as he handed Naruto a photo of a young girl with violet eyes, blood red hair, a round face wearing a beautiful smile.

"Wow she's beautiful. And she has the same pretty hair as you do," Naruto said with a smile.

"Wait. You think my hair is pretty?" Kotero asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, I mean I've never seen hair like yours or my Kaa-chan's. It's really pretty," Naruto said without taking his eyes off the photo of his mother.

Kotero just stared at Naruto, in a bit of bewilderment. Very few has ever complimented his hair. Sure, he's been called handsome, but his hair was never really talked about. "Thanks, I guess," he replied with a scratch behind his head.

"The Hokage wanted you to be a Chūnin first before you got this information, but since I'm here. He had his hands tied behind his back, so he had to spill it," Kotero sheepishly said.

"Kotero-nii, does that mean you know my Father as well?" Naruto's face filling up with more excitement, anticipating the next answer, he couldn't keep still as he was literally shaking in place.

Kotero donned a saddened expression. "Sorry Naruto, I have no idea who he is. I'm sure it's the same story as your Kaa-chan. I'd say when you grow up and show you're mature enough, you'll find out," he said.

' _It does beg the question of who he is though..._ ' Kotero thought.

Naruto pouted at this and kicked a rock into the lake. "Hm, I would be an idiot if I thought I could get the all answers today. Looks like I have to wait," he then picked up a flat stone and skipped it across the lake. "Who do I think I am?" he said.

"Who are you? Isn't it obvious, you're Uzumaki Naruto, a future Hokage. Naruto, are you okay?" Kotero asked, concerned with his little brother's one-eighty in emotions.

"Yeah, it's just that I find out about my Kaa-chan, I want know about my Tou-chan as well," Naruto said sadly. He paused and looked at his new big brother and smiled "It just means my Tou-chan was a badass too ttebayo!" Naruto yelled out.

Kotero clapped his hands with a smile on his face. "That's the spirit. Now Naruto let me tell you about our clan as this will we be one of the most important lessons of your life!" Kotero said, he loved talking about his clan.

"Yosh!" he exclaimed with a mock salute. He sat down in front of Kotero looking up to him, ready to soak up every detail. This was much more interesting than Iruka's lectures about the history of the academy and other things about Konoha.

"I'll start from the beginning then. This is history that goes on hundreds of years Naruto. I know this because my Kaa-chan had some of the Uzumaki scrolls from our clan archive and she told me lots of stories about us. We are a very old clan who believe in the philosophy of peace and love. We were scholars at heart, that's why are so famed for being the best at sealing arts known as fūinjutsu. As well as the visual arts, never forget that. We liked to express ourselves in various ways.

That doesn't mean we didn't like a good fight, no far from it, we loved to fight. Not for domination or destruction though, we loved to fight because of the thrill of battle is something unique. If you didn't know, our clan were also famed for its skill in kenjutsu. Samurai in the Land of Iron were jealous of us, since they only focused on the art of the sword while we were great at other shinobi arts as well.

Since our ancestral home was by the sea, most of the members in our clan were suiton ninjutsu users. I myself have the natural affinity to water, but I can use wind chakra as well. We were a clan that were respected and feared.

We are related to the Senju clan, we were always close, allies for each other in times of need since we came from a common ancestor. During the warring clans period, before the Hidden village system was adopted around the Elemental nations, we would help the Senju clan with food, weapon supplies and men. In return, we received a bulk of raw materials and the same if we were in any conflict. Our clan were a strong bunch, we were on par with both the Senju and Uchiha clan.

When the end of the warring clans period came, the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan formed Konoha, we sent them resources and materials to help them start up. We already had a larger village than what Konoha was back then, but we then declared it as a hidden village. It was called Uzushiogakure no Sato. It also had a nickname 'Village of Longevity'. For the Senju clan and Konoha to show their respect and strong friendship to the Uzumaki clan and our village, they put our clan symbol on the Chūnin and Jōnin flak jackets. That red swirl on some of the ninja's backs in the village is the one I'm talking about.

Our clan members often married each other to increase our clan ties, the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama married our second Great-Aunt Uzumaki Mito. We helped our friends out by setting up seals around the walls of the village for security and protection when their village grew exponentially, and other clans came and joined them. We even gave them the schematics for a barrier," Kotero was going to continue but his little blond brother interrupted him.

"Kotero-nii, what happened to our village?" Naruto asked, not understanding why his cousin is here if they already have a village.

"It was destroyed," Kotero said rather grimly. "I've never seen it for myself but my Kaa-chan said it was the most beautiful village. It was towards the end of the second great shinobi war when it happened. Because we were such a respected clan, we were feared by the other villages. Mainly due to our sealing prowess.

Kumo, Kiri and a large contingent of Iwa ninja banded together to do a surprise attack on us. We weren't participating directly in the war as it would have been utterly insane to do so, but we provided tools, weapons and seals to Konoha since we were allies. We crafted high quality weapons and with our superior seals, it gave Konoha an edge in the fight. The other villages deemed us too dangerous, so they decided to destroy us. And unfortunately, they succeeded."

Kotero walked over to the lake to see his reflection in the clear water. "But we didn't go down without a fight, even though we were outnumbered to something like thirty to one ninja, we fought and battled hard while we sent some of our people away, in case we didn't survive. My Kaa-chan and her betrothed, my Tou-chan, escaped.

We can assume that the remnants of the village, was damaged beyond repair. Most of the buildings in the village should be in tatters. And a lot of people, both in the clan and the others who resided with us were killed. Men, women, mothers and their children were killed in cold blood.

Thankfully, because of our defensive measures and our seals, there was time to store all our clan secrets into the Uzumaki vault in the main compound. Our ancestors did it so the enemies couldn't use our work against our brethren.

There isn't a main family or branch family system in our clan, but since our grandfather, Uzumaki Yushiro was clan head at the time, we have his blood flowing through our veins. So, therefore we are the main family Naruto, we are the only ones allowed to enter it freely," Kotero said and moved back to Naruto.

Kotero unsheathed his two katana and showed them to Naruto. "An example of one of our treasures would be the swords on my back. They are an Uzumaki heirloom that were once owned by our great grandmother Uzumaki Teshi when she was clan head. She was a fierce woman with fiery red hair like me, Aunt Kushina and my Kaa-chan, and she used two swords like me as well. These swords are twins, they always to stay together," he said.

Kotero breathed deeply, then sighed. He walked over to Naruto's side to sit beside him. "An Uzumaki is a unique person Naruto. Usually we are hyper-active when we are young because we have so much chakra and energy that it's hard not to do something strenuous on a day-to-day basis. We are also a very friendly clan, family is the most important thing for us, I don't think we had any deserters or traitors in our history in the clan.

What makes us different from every clan is that we have immense chakra reserves, even when we are toddlers. When I unlocked my chakra, there was a small explosion and I recoiled into a tree. I had so much even my Kaa-chan was surprised how much I had. It was insane for my age according to her, even with Uzumaki blood flowing in my veins. I say you're in the exact same boat as me.

We also have such a strong lifeforce that we live longer than most people. It wouldn't be surprising if people died in their early one-hundreds in our clan.

And because of our lifeforce strength, our regenerative abilities are also better than most. We can't grow an arm or anything like that, but small cuts and bruises disappear completely after a few hours. This scar on my face was too deep to completely recover, but it was a lot worse when I got it, so I can't complain!

And usually an Uzumaki has red hair, but this isn't always the case. If one of the parents isn't an Uzumaki, then they might get the other parents hair colour. Also, our third Great-Grandfather Uzumaki Ashina had white hair all through his life even though his parents were both redheads," Kotero told Naruto.

As Kotero continued talking about their ancestors and their triumphs in the past, Naruto was amazed of how great his clan was, it was seeped with such rich history. For once, he was proud of his name, since now he knew what it meant.

Thinking over what his big brother said, he couldn't stop his heart beating like crazy, his clan were filled with such powerful shinobi. His desire to improve himself and his skills grew in tenfold. His dream has now changed onto a new path.

Naruto wants to do his clan proud by proving he is a strong capable ninja and becoming Hokage. With his fists shaking, he stared into his big brother's eyes. "I need to get stronger, if I want to become Hokage and make our clan proud of me, I need to train so I can be the best!" He declared with white fire pouring out of his cerulean blue eyes. Determination was oozing out of him.

Kotero smirked, stood up and started messing his little brother's hair. "That's what I wanted to hear! Naruto, you may have no real skills now," Naruto frowned at the words, Kotero sighs before speaking again, "but I can sense it, your untapped potential. You could possibly become the greatest Hokage if you work till your bones drop! Now I'm getting hungry, so why don't you and I get some ramen!" Kotero joyfully said.

"RAMEN! SWEET! Come on Kotero-nii," Naruto shouted as he grabbed Kotero's hand and pulled him hard. "Ichirku ramen is the best ramen ever!" he said to Kotero, with that, Kotero was being pulled hard towards the village by a tiny flying blond.

* * *

 **In The Village**

"What the hell!?" Kotero whispered to himself when Naruto finished his eighth bowl of Ramen. "I know Uzumakis eat a ton of food, but Naruto! The stack of bowls is nearly as tall as you!" Kotero exclaimed.

"Well I need to keep my energy up, I'm a growing boy!" he replied quickly.

"Then why are you so short for a boy growing up?" Kotero quipped. A tick mark appeared on Naruto's forehead and he was going to berate his older brother for speaking such a touchy subject but never got the chance. "Teuchi-san, please make two orders of vegetable ramen, and I want tons of veggies in them and one more miso pork for me," He asked.

"Right on it Kotero-san," Teuchi shouted in the back.

"So, Naruto, tell me about the stuff you're doing in the academy and the people in your class." If Kotero had to assume, the teachers would detest Naruto like the rest of the village does.

 _'Better get his perspective on this matter!'_ he thought while watching Naruto's facial expressions _._

Naruto stopped eating, some noodles dangling off the corner of his mouth. His face scrunched up a bit before swallowing up the remaining noodles. "To be honest, the academy sucks!" Naruto said bluntly.

"Well that was blunt!" Kotero with a chuckle.

A young brown-haired woman, appeared from the flaps with three bowls of ramen. "Here are you orders boys!" she said with a huge smile.

"Thanks Ayame-san," Kotero said.

"Ayame-neechan is the best!" Naruto cheered out as he took his bowl.

"Anything for you Naruto-kun. And you're welcome Kotero-san," she happily said as she left them to their own business.

Naruto looked at the packed vegetable ramen with a pout. Kotero had his own tic mark as he saw this. "You better eat those and tell me the rest or I'll leave you the bill," Kotero gruffly said.

Naruto paled, he rushed to the first bowl and started to eat his ramen. "All we do is go over the history of Konoha, which is fine if you want to be a book-worm, but I want to be a ninja. We only do training during Mondays and Fridays but the instructors ignore me, so my aim is crap with shuriken and kunai. And for some reason my equipment never sticks to the target. And my taijutsu is… crap as well. There's only so much I can do with just reading the scrolls on the basic academy style. I can see why Hokage-Jiji put me in the newer class," He said with a few stray noodles over his lips.

"Newer class? Ya mean that you were put in early?" Kotero asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I begged Jiji to make me a ninja, so he enrolled me early, so I would stop asking him hehe," Naruto said with a shaky smile and his eyes closed, scratching the back of his head.

"Well. It's not completely your fault. If your instructors did their job properly then you wouldn't need to be held back. Jiji told me his team of Genin reached the rank of Chūnin when they were six years old. You need to get better, stronger and most of all smarter. Knowledge is probably a ninja's most important tool. And I'm not saying you must know the Nidaime Hokage's favourite food or anything like that. I need to teach you about strategy and how to apply it. No way I'm letting you out of the village if you can only think of crazy, half-assed plans," Kotero said fiercely.

When Naruto listened to Kotero's words, he knew they were true, but they still hurt. But if there's one thing Naruto appreciated, it was honesty, brutal or not. "So, you're going to help me?" hoping for the answer would be yes.

"Of course I am! But I won't be here all the time Naruto. After this month, I'm going to be on lots of back-to-back missions to get experience with the other ninja. And it seems I need more money to pay for your ramen. I promise you when we have free time, I'll help train you.

I'm going to say this here though, I'm not going to walk you through this holding your hand. I'll criticise you whenever you make the slightest mistake. I'll punish you when you only put in half of your efforts. I'll be ruthless until the session is over. You okay with that, it'll make you strong, but you might hate me!" Kotero said with a grin.

Naruto went over the words and nodded with fierce speed. "How can I hate you? You'll be helping me," he said with a real smile.

Kotero just smirked and finished his bowl. "Good, now I want to hear about your class mates," Kotero said.

"Oh yeah. Well there are like twenty-six other students like me. But most of them blend in so I don't really remember them dattebayo. There are a few that are really distinctive.

There's Shino, he keeps quiet and rarely talks. You wouldn't notice him there if his bugs weren't buzzing about.

Then there's Kiba, He's smells like a dog and he's way over his head. Kiba has a puppy called Akamaru. The dog is much better company than him.

Chōji is always munching on a pack of potato crisps or sweets. He sounds like a grinder during class, it's kind of funny to watch.

Then there's Shikamaru. He's the smartest guy I know but he's as lazy as he is smart. He is tied to being dead-last with me because he is so damn lazy. He has his own catchphrase 'troublesome', he mutters every five minutes ttebayo.

There's this girl called Hinata. She stares at me from time to time for some reason I have no idea for. That and she has the Byu.. byaka.. bakagaaan, damn! I can't say it!" Naruto said with frustration.

"You mean the Byakugan!" Kotero said smiling at the stutter.

"Yes, thank you. And stop laughing. She has the Byakugan, so she has different eyes from everyone else.

Speaking of girls, there's one called Ino. She's real annoying but she never bats an eye on me so I don't care.

Then there's Sakura-chan," Naruto told Kotero.

"Sakura-chan? Do you like her in that way Naruto?" Kotero asked while poking Naruto's shoulder, interrupting him.

Naruto mumbled something under his breath that nobody could comprehend. "What was that Naruto. You voice is all quiet and it sounds like you're speaking through a muffler," Kotero teased.

"I said yes and no," Naruto said in a flustered state, his face turning red from the embarrassment.

"It can't be yes and no. It's either one or the other. Now spit it out," Kotero demanded.

"Fine! I sort of like her. When we were younger, I saved her from bullies making fun of her big-ass forehead," Naruto said, making Kotero bark out a mighty laugh.

"She then thanked me, and she had the most beautiful smile I've seen. We played for the rest of the day and it was the most fun I had in a long time ttebayo. The next time I saw her though, she was much colder to me. She then became a fangirl to the teme. Now she thinks every time I try to talk to her, I want to ask her out on a date and she bonks me on the head. And like Hinata, she's real distinct looking, she's real skinny because she's on a 'diet' and she has pink hair," Naruto described.

"Pink hair!?" Kotero gasped out. Sure, red hair was unique, but pink takes it to a whole new level.

' _What's strange with pink hair?_ ' Naruto thought. He then shrugged. "Yeah, pink hair. You can always spot her in a crowd," he told Kotero.

"From the sound of your description on her, in my honest opinion is that… she's a total bitch!" Kotero said nonchalantly with a sweet smile on his face.

"Kotero-nii that's not nice to say!" Naruto yelped after he heard the words.

"I call it as it looks little man. Now come on, how do you not see it. You're clearly too good for her. Even for a friend. And if she keeps "bonking" you on the head, you're going to get brain damage, and I don't want a yellow potato as a little brother. And if she's a true fangirl, you should stay away from her. They're making a bad case for all kunoichi. They rather focus on "love" and appearances than skills and training," Kotero explained to Naruto.

"It's still not nice to call her a bitch! It's unnecessary," Naruto defended his point.

"Didn't you call someone a teme, like five minutes ago," Kotero countered with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah I did hehe," Naruto said while scratching the back of his head. He gave his bowl to Ayame who went by the duo and then rubbed his bulged belly.

"That was good! So, yeah the teme is some emo kid called Sasuke. He thinks he's better than everyone else just because he's an Uchiha. I swear Kotero-nii, he has a stick stuck up so far up his ass and he refuses to let it out. He's that stuck up. I pinned him as my rival because… well to be honest he is a much better ninja then I am, but the way he acts pisses me off so much," Naruto admitted, speaking in a more negative tone as he kept talking. "He never acknowledges me for anything I do. Even if they were good."

' _It seems the Naruto doesn't really know about the Uchiha clan massacre. It explains why this 'Sasuke' is acting like an introvert. But the superiority complex is found in nearly every Uchiha according to what Kaa-chan told me. Because of their Sharingan, they think they are God's gift to mankind. They obviously got too big for their boots if the whole clan was murdered by one of their own in one night! That piece of news did spread like wildfire,'_ Kotero thought. ' _Sasuke though, maybe Naruto and he can become really good friends. That would be nice. I'll have to find out more about him from the Hokage._ '

"So, you want to take Sasuke down a peg or two huh?" Kotero asked.

"I do yeah! But only to wipe those cocky smirks of his away," Naruto joyfully said.

"Good answer! I don't know, but people who have those 'smirks' really piss me off as well," Kotero said. Kotero hopped off his seat, went to his wallet and put down a stack of ryó on the counter. "Thanks for the lovely food Teuchi-san, Ayame-san. I'm promise us two will be here again," Kotero said with a wink and a wave.

"Come soon back soon you two!" Teuchi shouted from the back.

"Can't wait to see you two again!" she said with a hint of red and a big smile.

"Naruto, come on! We better get to your apartment!" Kotero hastily said.

"Why are we going there? There's nothing nice in my house?" Naruto asked with a confused gaze.

"Well I told Hokage-Jiji that we're going to live together, so I need you to pack your stuff and then we can move in. We're going to be roomies," Kotero replied with a smile.

Naruto facial expression went from confusion to shock to ecstatic. "Eh, I am?" he shouted out in the middle of the street not believing what he heard was correct.

"Yeah, I thought it would be for the best!" Kotero said, looking at him with a serious face.

"But where are we living? What am I supposed to do with my apartment?" Naruto questioned.

Kotero than lightly clapped his hands around Naruto's cheeks. "Naruto! You worry too much, it's bad for the soul!" Kotero said while wagging his index finger. "Jiji said to me he'll sort it so don't even think about. Now we better hurry up," he said.

* * *

 **Old Housing Sector**

Naruto and Kotero then went off to Naruto's apartment. They were walking side by side. Kotero couldn't help noticing the glares coming from the villagers. He had to resist with all his might not to beat them up for making his little brother feel even more insecure about himself.

As they walked further into the part of town to where Naruto's apartment was, he saw it was getting emptier and quieter. When they arrived at a large apartment complex, it was completely hollow. The windows were mouldy with lack of maintenance. There was obscure black graffiti written on the walls.

"Nice place," Kotero said out loud. Never taking his eyes off the damage and vandalism.

"That's not even a bit funny Kotero-nii. Come on, the sooner we pack, the sooner we can go to our new home," Naruto quickly said.

They climbed the stairs until they reached Naruto's floor. They entered inside his small apartment. Kotero had to hold his nose from the smell of the place. It was nauseating. It didn't help that there was there were old ramen cups everywhere, but that wasn't the smell that was getting Kotero's nose in a dire state.

He waltzed into the bathroom and looked at the ceiling. There was black mold damage as old as Naruto and it was thick and disgusting.

' _The landlord does no maintenance I see,_ ' Kotero thought as he scanned his surroundings.

There was more mold in the corners. The walls were stained from years of neglect. He peeked at the shower mechanism. The switches were loose from the lack of mantenence. ' _And n_ _either does Naruto. Oh dear lord, what did I get myself into?'_

Kotero looked around more and more. Lifting some old clothes and ramen cups. His face was growing sourer by the minute. ' _This place is disgusting. And not only because of the smell and dirt,_ ' he thought with a soured face.

Naruto was taking all his orange wardrobe and laying it on his bed like his big brother asked him to. He also gathered all his instant ramen cups as they are very precious to him. He put his hands on his hips as he was pleased he has everything he needed from the apartment. He looked to his left to see Kotero inspecting parts of the kitchen.

' _What is Nii-chan looking at?'_ he thought _._

"Kotero-Niichan, you ok?" Naruto asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, was just checking out your shitty crib," Kotero answered blankly.

"Oh…" he said glumly while putting his head down.

Kotero walked into Naruto's and he immediately noticed the ramen. Sighing, he started folding his clothes. He then picked up a sleeping cap in shape of a dog. "Naruto what's this thing?" he asked.

"Oh that? That's my sleeping cap. I got it for my birthday two years ago. I got from Inu-niisan," Naruto told him.

' _Inu? Must be an ANBU that was guarding him. I have to thank him for this!'_ Kotero thought. "When is your birthday Naruto?" Kotero asked.

"Tenth of October, it was a couple of days ago," Naruto said as his face turned sombre, eyes getting watery.

' _That was like five days ago!_ _Shit must have bad memories! Oh! I know how to save this!'_ Kotero thought quickly _,_ "Oh? Mine was a month ago on the ninth. This means after I get a bit of money, I have to get you a late birthday present yeah?" Kotero told him.

"Sweet!" Naruto cheered with a jumps and fist pumps.

Kotero whipped out a clean scroll and started to make a large storage seal. "Naruto put all of your stuff on the black markings on the scroll," Kotero said.

Naruto not understanding what was going on but complying. He stacked all his clothes and ramen cups on the seal. Kotero sent some chakra through the seal and the items vanished.

Naruto then freaked out! "What happened?" he screamed out. ' _Oh no! My Ramen!'_ he cried internally.

"What do you mean 'What happened?'. I put your stuff in a storage seal," Kotero said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"WOW! That's so cool!" Naruto said. Naruto then looked and inspected the scroll with great interest.

Kotero started laughing like a madman, earning a strange look from Naruto. "If you think that's cool then you'll be amazed of what fūinjutsu can offer you!" Kotero said with a grin.

"Fūinjutsu? How come we don't learn that in the academy?" Naruto asked.

"To be honest, it's an obscure art. It takes lots of patience and skill to perform it. You need perfect handwriting because if you mess one seal in a sequence of seals, or even in the foundation of the seal, it can cause a catastrophic accident. Also, it's for the best if you have a seasoned sealer to teach you to make sure you aren't making mistakes," Kotero answered, putting the scroll away with the sealed items inside.

"Oh. Are you a seal-master Nii-chan?" Naruto asked, he had many questions lined up.

"Yea I am, and don't forget it. We Uzumaki love fuinjutsu, so the parents tortured the children to learn it. Our clansmen invested way more of their time into it rather than say ninjutsu or taijutsu. It's our bread and butter!" Kotero answered honestly with a hearty laugh.

"Can you teach it to me? It seems like something I'll need it if I want to be Hokage," Naruto said with his fist thumping his puffed-out chest.

Kotero then smiled and wiped away a fake tear. "Ah Naruto, you warm my heart with those sweet words you say! Of course I'll teach you!" he scooped his little brother up, bear-hugging him in the process. He started vigorously swaying him side-to-side making the Naruto dizzy. Kotero dropped Naruto and he fell on his butt, with birds flying around his head.

"Do you have everything you need?" Kotero asked as he really wants to see his new home.

"Yeah, let's get out of here! The sooner the better," Naruto said while walking out of the door.

Kotero looked back one last time. ' _This place must hold bad memories for Naruto. I'll make sure he has lots of good ones in our new home!_ ' Kotero thought _._ He then followed the little blond out of the door as well.

* * *

 **West sector of Konoha**

"Woah, this is our house?" Naruto asked as he has never seen a house as big as this one.

Kotero just smirked as he opened the door for the two. "It is! And don't worry about landlords. I own the property, so nobody will mess it up," Kotero told him.

Naruto can only look in amazement as he eyes widened to see the whole living space in front of him. The house was huge, and they only entered the living room. It already had furniture, a large three-cushioned cream couch with two bachelor chairs in the same fabric across from it.

A glass coffee table between the seats. There was wooden flooring that was oiled beautifully that you can see your own reflection. He saw in the distance a modern kitchen that would put his old unit to absolute shame. Fume hood over the cooker/oven and a large fridge near it. So far, this place was a palace to Naruto.

"Jiji said he left some presents for you Naruto in your new room. Go upstairs to see them. Also take a bath when you're up there, you smell like freaking pork ramen!" Kotero spat out.

Naruto giggled and sprinted up the stairs. He turned to the right and went down the empty corridor. There were five doors. Two on the left, two on the right and finally one in the middle at the end of the corridor. He went into the first room on the right. He didn't know why he picked it apart from the fact that it felt like the right choice. When he entered the room, he was gob-smacked, his jaw hitting the floor.

The room was clean and organised and had a magnificently crafted wooden wardrobe and desk. There was even a double bed in the corner fitting snuggly near the window. He then noticed some items on the bed as he delved further into his new room.

There was a new ninja pouch. A freshly sharpened set of shuriken and kunai. And five sets of identical outfits consisting of black shinobi sandals, black shinobi pants with an orange strip going down the side of the pants. There was a white t-shirt with his clan symbol on the back.

And finally, Naruto saw a blue zip-up jacket with three parallel orange stripes going down from the high collar all the way down to the wrists. There was only one jacket where the other items of clothing were a set of five, but the jacket looked expensive. Naruto knew that it would be a waste to buy five of them if he should and could wear just the one.

On the back of the jacket, the Uzumaki swirl was proudly showing itself. The inside of the jacket was completely orange. Naruto's eyes were popping out of their sockets as he was looking through all the new equipment. His blood was pumping with adrenaline and his body was shaking with excitement.

His excitement broke suddenly when an envelope fell from the pocket of the jacket onto the floor. Breathing deeply, he picked up the envelope and sat on his new bed. ' _Comfy! Way better than the piece of crap I called a bed back at the apartment!'_ Naruto joyfully thought.

He opened the packaging and a letter appeared. He put the letter the right way up and began reading it.

 _Dear Naruto,_

 _I'm thrilled that one of your wishes came true at last, that you finally found family. I have and always will treat you as if you are truly my cherished grandson. However, with my job taking care of the village and her people, I find that I have very little time to spend with you. I'm glad that Kotero has come into our lives as I can expect great things from him and I know he'll be great for the both of us, especially you. Naruto, I am truly hoping that with this event, your life will turn for the better._

 _I want you to become a great ninja. I expect nothing less than that from my successor. Because of this, I wanted to give you a few gifts. I got you some fine equipment and a sharpening stone. I'm sure Kotero will teach you how to maintain your kunai and shuriken. I also thought you needed a change of outfits. Don't worry, I left plenty of orange so you wouldn't get mad, but a ninja isn't supposed to be seen when on missions, so I had the orange on the inside. Now don't disappoint me Naruto. I can see you becoming a fine man, and I wanted to be a part of it._

 _The Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato,_

 _Sarutobi Hiruzen._

Naruto's tears were freely falling from his eyes. He rolled the letter up and put it in his drawer in his desk for safe keeping. ' _Jiji and Kotero-niichan believe I can become Hokage. I must get stronger. I will never give up!'_ Naruto determinately thought. He grabbed a plain white t-shirt and a pair of grey baggy lounge-pants. He exited his bedroom and looked for the bathroom.

He entered the room across from his bedroom and found a large space. It had cream coloured tiles, turquoise paint ran on the walls and the ceiling was a clean white. As he tiptoed through the room, he couldn't but shiver as the cold floor ran its course into Naruto's small body. He looked to his left and saw himself in the large mirror that was over the sink. It seemed that the mirror was installed directly to the wall. The porcelain sink had golden taps and there were many fragrant soaps around it. He looked down the room and his eyes widened again.

There was a large bath, big enough to hold two people at the same time and still be comfortable. He slowly walked over, marvelling at the beauty of the bath and the whole room. He kneeled and turned the bath taps. Hot water flowed into the large tub. The steam already hitting Naruto's Face. Breathing outside the steam fumes, Naruto then picked up some bath salts and chucked it in, not knowing what the hell to do with it. The explosion of smell instantly went up Naruto's nostrils. ' _That's intense!'_ Naruto mused as he started looking around again.

He saw an ordinary toilet near where the sink was. It seemed to have the same design style as the bath and sink but it didn't look like it had anything unique about. Then in the corner of his eye, he saw a large shower in the corner of the room.

Again, he was surprised at the size of the shower. Like the bath, it could hold two people and still be comfortable. He then saw that it can be used by two people as there was a shower head in the shape of a large rectangle, that was only a bit smaller than the surface area of the shower floor. The hot water was rising so he slowed down the flow of hot water and turned on the cold-water tap. He then got the wooden bath stick that was hanging on a stand beside the tub and started to churn the water.

' _Perfect!'._ Naruto then undressed and slowly descended into the foamy waters. He stretched out his body and cracked a few of his stiff bones. He let his body soak in the first hot bath he had in his life. It was truly relaxing, something he missed through his sad childhood. For the first time that day, Naruto had to think about the events that occurred through that day. To think of all of it was some sort of mega pipe-dream wouldn't be unrealistic.

' _When I entered Jiji's office, I thought it was bullshit from a prank I did ages ago. I'd never have thought I was going to meet my cousin. Hell, I was convinced I had no family whatsoever. Kotero-nii must be one of the coolest guys ever._

 _I glad he's_ _my_ _Nii-chan. Who thought my name, Uzumaki was a super famous clan that were so feared, three major countries had to gang up on our small country. Just shows us that we're amazing. Kotero-nii said that many escaped when the attacks started. I might have more family out there. They'll only be distant cousins, but I'll take any family I can get._

 _It's only been half a day since we met, but it's like me and Kotero-nii already known each other for ages. I don't want to disappoint him with my training now, him and Jiji. They have given me this chance and I have to take it with my two hands!'_ Naruto thought. Naruto sighed and sunk further into the waters, letting his body relax in the fragrant waters _._

' _I should be better, I'm actually pathetic. Sure, I'm fast and I can make traps and the greatest pranks, but as a ninja, I'm crap. Now that I think about, no instructor ever gave a damn about me. But I have to be honest to myself. I did myself no favours. I skipped class. I was cheeky to the instructors. I drove people away because I wanted everyone's attention. I was a brat. But that's going to change._

 _I suck because I had no-one to guide me in the right direction, it also doesn't help that I get the bluntest of weapons when we do any type of practice. I never get instructions on my taijutsu and when I try to learn from the scrolls, they tell me I'm doing it wrong._

 _I was just ignored. And I just ignored them._

 _God, I hope when Kotero-nii trains me, he can and will actually teach me, then I will make my dream come true!'_ Naruto kept on thinking for another five minutes. He then noticed his skin was saturated from the water as wrinkles appeared all over his hands.

He stood up suddenly, letting the water splash around and the bubbles on his body flow down his skin. He unplugged the bath and grabbed a fresh towel. Drying himself thoroughly, he then rubbed the towel intensely into his hair. He threw the towel into the wash bin and put his clothes on.

Cleaning the bath from the bubbles, he didn't want to leave a bad impression for his big brother, so he cleaned the tub. He left the bathroom with a sigh going into his room. He grabbed and put on some slippers and went back downstairs. He saw Kotero bringing a tray with two cups of black tea in his hands. He then set them on the coffee table beside a scroll with some diagrams and writings.

There was an ink brush beside a jar full of the black liquid. Kotero then sat back down and started to write into said scroll.

"What'cha doing Nii-chan? Looks interesting!" Naruto asked, wanting to get to know of his big brother. He sat down on the couch and took the other cup and began to drink it. His face scrunched up as the hot liquid went down his throat. "AH! Nii-chan, how do you drink this stuff? It's so bitter!" Naruto complained.

"Well black tea always helps me concentrate when I'm doing this kind of work. And to answer your question, I'm writing down some of my findings. I've been experimenting with medical ninjutsu and seals. I'm trying to develop a seal that let's medical chakra flow through the body, healing any wounds around the body while in combat at a constant rate. I haven't made much progress but I'm not going to stop, this is too good of an idea to let go," Kotero answered whilst not taking one eye away from the scroll.

Naruto could only stare in awe. Although he had no idea what any of it means. To him it sounded like the smartest thing he has ever heard. ' _Kotero-nii is a genius,'_ Naruto thought as he drank more of the bitter beverage. "So, when did you start working on it?" he asked.

"During when my Kaa-chan was dying of her illness. I thought if I could make this healing seal, it could stabilize her, but she was getting weaker and this seal was much harder to create than what I hoped for," Kotero replied with a dejected and sorrowful look.

Naruto picked up on this and felt awful for bring painful memories back for his big brother. "Sorry," He said glumly.

Kotero's face changed from one to sadness to surprise. "Sorry? Naruto, you had no idea your Aunt was dying. Don't feel bad for making me feel sad. Don't worry about talking about my Kaa-chan to me. She was your Aunt as well, so you do have a right to know about her. I'm sure if she saw you she would squeeze you to death and say that you're the 'cutest thing ever!'. Yeah, I'm positive she would have loved you the instant you would've met," Kotero said with unbreakable belief.

Naruto smiled deeply at this, feeling loved was something so new to him, it was addicting. He finished his tea then he set it on the table besides Kotero's empty cup. He looked at his brother once more. Completely enamoured by the concentration that he is showing. Naruto felt tired, his body wanted to lay down and a small yawn escaped his lips. However, his curiosity needed to be fed first or he'd be up all night. "Kotero-nii, what kind of training are we going to do?" Naruto asked.

The room was quiet, the only noise was the inkbrush making its mark on the paper. Kotero looked up to Naruto's gaze when he finished writing. He put his hands to his face and placed his elbows on his legs.

"After you finished with the academy tomorrow, we're going to do training in the training grounds behind the house. I'll let you know what we'll do when we are there. After, we eat dinner and I'll begin to teach you fūinjutsu. How does that sound?" Kotero asked with a sly smirk, knowing what reaction he will get from his hyper-active little brother.

"Sweet! I'm going to get so strong Kotero-nii, this is my first step into becoming the Hokage!" Naruto announced.

"Man, I hope you're that enthusiastic when we do the next training session after tomorrow's. Now Naruto, get to bed now. You'll need plenty of sleep if want to grow another inch," Kotero ordered with a hint of laughter.

Naruto's forehead grew tic marks and his eyes narrowed on Kotero. "Just you wait! I'll have a growth spurt and then I'll be taller than you!" he shouted while pointing his finger at Kotero. Naruto ran up the stairs to his room to go sleep, he kept muttering "I'll be the tallest man alive!"

All Kotero could do was laugh his ass off as he fell from his chair. After the slam of a door, Kotero calmed himself and went back to work before going to bed himself.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

Naruto woke up, his alarm clock was ringing at a loud volume. Slamming the button on the top of the clock to stop the annoyance. His ears were ringing, he rolled out of bed and rubbed his eyes with his hands. Trying hard not to get back under the covers to continue the greatest sleep he ever had, he hopped out of bed.

Doing some quick stretches and cracking his back to get that satisfactory pop. Naruto strolled into the bathroom to wash his face. He filled the basin with warm water and scooped some in his hands and splashed it in his face. He then massaged his temples, forehead and cheeks. He grabbed the hand towel and then dried his face. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but not smile. The small and dark, noticeable bags that were usually under his eyes have disappeared and his skin glowed.

' _Must be from the bath last night,'_ he thought.

Naruto went back to his room and quickly got his equipment ready for his day at the academy. He then sat on the comfy chair that was beside his new desk and got dressed. He wrapped his elastic bandages from the top of his ankles to just underneath his knees.

Naruto wrapped the bandages on his wrist to act as wrist guards. He puts on his new clothes, the black shinobi pants hugging nicely on Naruto's legs, ending hallway down his shin cupping the lower calf. Naruto grabbed his t-shirt, with some quick motions, the t-shirt went over his head and covered his torso. Wrapping his new jacket around his upper body, Naruto zipped it up until the metal zip pin was just at his chest.

Getting new shoes made everyone excited. Naruto was no different. He pulled out his new shinobi sandals and wiggled his small bt growing feet into them. It was a perfect fit.

The very last job was the easiest. Taking the roll of his new shinobi bandage wraps that the Hokage gave to him, Naruto wrapped it around his thigh on his right leg, finishing it off by strapping his shuriken holster onto the bandage.

Naruto looked at himself in his huge mirror that was hidden in the room. He had to admit he looked a lot more like a ninja instead of wearing all that orange on the outside of his clothes. But in all honesty, he liked the colour orange and he loved wearing it. It always brightened up his day.

' _It's what is in the inside that counts,'_ Naruto thought as he looked lovingly at the orange inside his new blue jacket.

Naruto went down the stairs in his slippers, and turned to see his big brother was putting breakfast on the table. A strange feeling was pitted deep inside of him. ' _I usually have a cup ramen for breakie and now I'm actually getting a meal. I could get used to this! But still, nothing can ever beat the amazing taste that is ramen!_ ' he thought.

"Wow, someone looks good!" Kotero said with a happy smile accompanying his face.

Naruto puffed out his chest, "I know I do ttebayo!" Naruto cheered out.

Naruto went to his seat beside the table and saw the assortment of food. There was a bowl of fruit, not that he was complaining, but Naruto wasn't a big fan of fruit or vegetables.

There was also a small bowl of rice, a small bowl of vegetable soup. A platter of salmon and what looked like some sort of bread. "Kotero-nii, this looks good but what's this?" said pointing at the strange bread.

"That Naruto is sour-dough bread. It's a thing I picked up on my travels. It's very filling and it's slow to digest, it'll help you with your hunger throughout the day. Now come on eat up! You need your energy for what I have in store for you!" Kotero replied while Eating his own breakfast.

Naruto dug into the rice and fish first, without noticing, it vanished as he ate it so fast. He then looked at the soup and bowl of fruit. He just gulped and took a taste of the soup. And to his surprise, it was tasty, no it was delicious!

Naruto gulped it down as if it was water. He then looked at the fruit bowl again, it was colourful, and it looked a lot better than the fruit he scrounged around for or picked in the wild. He took a bite out of an orange slice and a citrusy flavour exploded in his mouth. It was amazingly tangy. He then picked up a strawberry and chewed it down. The sweet juice of the berry slid down his throat like honey. Naruto then tried each fruit piece, not knowing the wonders of fresh fruit.

' _Seems like ramen isn't the only nice thing in the world!'_ he thought with disbelief _._

Kotero got a milk carton from the fridge, opened it and slid it down to Naruto. Naruto finished his fruit and downed the milk in record time. Naruto wiped his mouth clean with a happy sigh. "What are your plans for today while I'm at the academy?" Naruto asked his big brother.

Kotero closed the fridge door and sat back down in his chair across from Naruto. "Well I'm going to put security seals around the house, so no-one can break in or vandalise it. I paid too much money for some asshole to break a window or something like that. Then I'll do a quick work out and work on the healing seal I told you about last night. And if I get annoyed and blow some steam, I'll ask Jiji if I can help around before my probation ends," Kotero answered while sipping on his black tea.

Naruto just listened to Kotero, still amazed by the fact that Kotero was working on something like that. He looked at the clock and it was twenty past eight. His class didn't start till nine, however he lived a bit further away from the academy now. He didn't want to be late on the day he was going to take things seriously. "Kotero-nii, I'm going to class now," Naruto said with a neutral tone but went over to his brother and gave him a tight hug.

Kotero returned it and ruffled Naruto's hair slightly and gave him a nod. Naruto checked his equipment one more time, satisfied, he went out of the door and walked to the academy.

Naruto noticed there were less people in his path from his new home. Thankful to his new home that he didn't to deal with such unrestrained hate as much now. He made it to the academy with no troubles whatsoever. He stopped mid-way and looked to the lone tree with a wooden swing set. He remembered himself swinging on it, nobody to talk to, all alone. More reason to be thankful for his big brother's appearance, all that loneliness and sadness that was built up for years and years is being dissolved away. Feeling loved can do wonders for the soul.

He entered the academy and strolled into the classroom. It wasn't full yet and he scanned the room. The only other students that were there were Shino, Shikamaru, Chōji, Sasuke and some civilian family kids. There was an empty seat beside Shikamaru, so he went and claimed it for himself.

Even if he admits that he didn't really have friends, Shikamaru and himself were always on friendly terms and shared banter when they wanted a bit of trouble. To say in Shikamaru words "the day is too troublesome" just to sit around and listen to Iruka, so sometimes they would skip class, but somehow Iruka always found them.

"Yo, what's going on Shikamaru? Chōji?" Naruto asked them, trying to act a bit like his new big brother.

The two stared up at Naruto as if he was a stranger, a new student. When they saw his mop of blonde hair and his trade-mark whisker marks. They finally cracked the puzzle. "Naruto!?" they both said in quiet shock. The Naruto they knew was louder, more brash, and wore more orange, a lot more orange.

"You know it ttebayo," he said with a smirk and took his seat beside Shikamaru. Laughing internally at the two faces of complete shock. ' _Everyone is going freak out how much I changed in one-day hehe!'_ Naruto giggled inside his head.

Shikamaru composed himself after the biggest shock for him in the school year. "Naruto, not that I'm complaining but what happened to you?" Shikamaru asked, his interest in the blond grew hugely in just a couple seconds.

Naruto simply replied with "Everything," and he ended it with a wink.

Shikamaru huffed and muttered "troublesome blondes."

However, Shikamaru wasn't going to give up on why Naruto changed so drastically, he was going to get to the bottom of this.

"You want some food Naruto?" Chōji offered, the two would often talk about what they would describe God's gift of food to mankind that is ramen.

"Yeah sure. Thank you, Chōji," Naruto answered with a smile, grabbing some potato crisps and eating them.

The three just then talked about life in general and cloud watching. It was a good discussion. The classroom was filling up as the clock was turning closer to nine o'clock. Suddenly, two girls raced into the classroom and suddenly stopped in the row where Sasuke sat. The two were arguing who got there first, and the other girls started grouping around them. The classroom was filled with screeches, Naruto had to resort to cover his ears.

Then the pink-haired girl, went over and bonked the head of the poor soul that was sitting beside Sasuke. Naruto looked up at the scene and saw Sasuke was brooding, his eyebrows were twitching, and his face wore a dark expression. The girl, Sakura was yapping about her day yesterday and other nonsense when she sat down beside him. Naruto turned around, so he was facing the blackboard and began to rub his temples.

' _I see where Kotero-nii was coming from and he never met her before. I wouldn't call her what Nii-chan called her myself, but I can see she's not the nicest person ever,'_ Naruto thought.

Naruto recollected all the events concerning himself, Sakura, Ino and the fangirls and he realised that every one of them had to do with diverting their attention off Sasuke to him and getting beat up in the process. He shivered like crazy.

' _Maybe another reason why I picked him as my rival, I was jealous of all the attention he was getting while being broody!'_ Naruto thought after sighing _._

The door to the classroom door opened and two men walked in and went behind the desk. "Good morning class!" they both said.

All the students scattered to the remaining seats and quieted down. "Good morning Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei," the class replied in mixed voices.

Iruka scanned the classroom and saw that there was no blob of orange in one the chairs. "Where's Naruto? Did he skip class?" he asked a bit irritated.

"I'm here Iruka-sensei," Naruto said while putting his hand up. Everyone in the class gasped as they noticed the new appearance of the blond loud-mouth.

The most surprised was Iruka, the sudden change sucker-punched him. He recomposed himself and gave a shaky smile, "Great that you're here! Now let's get started on the class," He said.

The lessons dragged on until it was noon and the bells rang. They students got up and left for the courtyard. Naruto cracked his knuckles and began walking with Shikamaru and Chōji to some shade under the large oak tree. They all sat in a triangle on the soft patch of grass. Shikamaru was watching the clouds, Chōji was nibbling on a bento lunch box and Naruto was munching on some of Kotero's sour dough bread.

"Naruto, after school, Shikamaru and I are going to Yakiniku Q for some food. You want to join us?" Chōji asked, having enjoyed his time with the blond.

Shikamaru looked like his was just lazing about but he was carefully watching Naruto. Analysing any new details and behaviours he would show, he had to admit, this Naruto was much more enjoyable to hang around with, he was more realistic then the loudmouth before. The itch to know what caused this change was irritating him, he wanted to scratch it out immediately, but he was too lazy and not desperate enough to do so.

"Sorry guys, I have to disappoint you, I have to do some training after this. We can go there or have some ramen some other time," he said with a saddened tone. He was amazed how quickly the friendship between himself and the two others grew by acting a little calmer and putting an effort into the conversation instead of saying something related to the Hokage every three seconds.

"Training? What kind of training?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Honestly, I have no idea?" Naruto said with a smile.

"Huh!" was all he got from the two other boys.

"I don't know what training I'm going to be doing, someone else will tell me what to do!" Naruto answered their unspoken question with honesty.

"Who's going to be training you Naruto?" Chōji asked while opening a bag of potato crisps and started to munch on them.

The old Naruto would have blurted out that Kotero was going to be teaching him, but he needed to be mature, to become the Hokage and get answers of who his father is, he needed to show the Hokage that he was maturing. "Actually, I don't know if I can tell you. I'll ask him and I'll tell you then," he answered calmly.

They weren't satisfied with the answer, but neither were going to push the subject. They sat there for a little while longer, Chōji was still snacking on something and Naruto started pulling on the blades of the grass. Shikamaru was noticing the strange looks some of his fellow students were giving Naruto. ' _Must be the outfit change if I had to guess,'_ he thought.

The bell rang, and everyone went back inside into the classroom, the trio retook their seats and waited for the teachers. Iruka and Mizuki came back in and resumed the lesson where they left off. It was the longest two hours in Naruto's life. Compared to how Kotero describes history or how his sealing works, the lessons were crap. No more, no less.

However, whenever the Shodai or Nidaime Hokage were mentioned, Naruto perked up with a smile, remembering the relation between his clan and the Senju clan.

Unbeknownst to him, Shikamaru noticed this as well, ' _I wonder what's going through that thick skull of his?_ ' Shikamaru thought.

The lesson ended and then the children left the class. Shikamaru, Chōji and Naruto walked out of the academy together, talking about whatever was on their minds. They were the first students to leave the building. When they got close to the gates Naruto heard his name.

"Oi Naruto!" Kotero said while leaning on the fence that was enclosing the academy grounds. In his usual attire and with his forehead protector, the only items he didn't have on him were his flak jacket and swords.

Naruto turned to see his big brother, his face lighting up even more, "Nii-chan, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh... Am I not allowed to pick you up? I'm shocked, and here I thought you liked my company," Kotero jokingly said while grasping his heart.

"No, it's just that I didn't expect to see you, that's all!" he answered quickly.

"Good! You know I have sensitive feelings!" Kotero said in a cynical tone. He then saw a young boy with pineapple shaped black hair and a large boy with brown hair eating some food. "Naruto, why haven't you introduced me to your friends?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, this is Akimichi Chōji and Nara Shikamaru," Naruto said while letting Kotero walk over to the pair.

"It's lovely to meet you two. My name is Uzumaki Kotero," Kotero said with a smile, putting his hand out for the two to shake them.

The two shook his hand and they both exchanged greetings. As this was going on, murmurs of other students were heard by all of them. The children were wondering who the new person was and why was he hanging out with Naruto.

"It's nice to meet ya and all, but I need to get this little man out of here, so I can repair him," Kotero said with a sickly-sweet smile while patting Naruto's shoulder.

"Repair?" Chōji asked, completely not understanding what Kotero had meant.

"He means he's going to train Naruto. Isn't that right Kotero-san?" Shikamaru said with a bored expression.

' _Like Naruto said yesterday, he's smarter than he looks,'_ Kotero mused. "Yeah you're correct. And bin the honorifics, just call me Kotero or I'll call you pineapple-chan," Kotero replied with a smirk as he heard laughing from Chōji and Naruto.

Grabbing Naruto's shoulder, "See you two later, and I know we are going get along just right," Kotero said with a wink. Then he and Naruto vanished via a body-flicker that left a subtle breeze of wind.

Chōji and Shikamaru stood there in silence. "That guy is cool," Chōji stated as he walked to a bin to put his wrapper away.

The duo began their walk to the BBQ restaurant. Shikamaru was going over what happened with Naruto and the appearance of the new Uzumaki. "I have to ask Oyaji about this. He'll tell what I need to know," Shikamaru told Chōji as they entered the restaurant. "I'm sure it won't be last time we see him," he said after, as the Nara and Akimichi heirs took their seats to eat.

* * *

 **Uzumaki Residence**

Naruto and Kotero appeared at their house's training grounds. It was large clearing of dirt that had a large white rectangle making a small battle pitch, it was twenty metres wide and fifty metres long. There were training posts on the far side of the battle pitch and on the close side, there were bullseye targets and target dummies.

Kotero went over into the middle of the battle pitch and motioned Naruto to follow him. "Come on now Naruto, we need to do some good ol' exercise!" he said.

"Yes Nii-chan!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

"Alright send some chakra into the heart piece to activate level one. And prepare yourself for the sudden change," Kotero ordered Naruto.

Naruto flowed some chakra from his finger tips and placed them on the metal piece on the strap. The metal glowed a light blue. Naruto felt the change immediately; his body fell to the ground. Picking himself up, he dusted off his trousers and looked up at Kotero.

"God, this is heavy!" Naruto commented on the sudden change.

"Well I hope it is! Alright GO! Do ten laps around the white line!" Kotero barked out his orders. Naruto darted off doing the laps. He felt the strain on his muscles already, he felt as if he was running through water. As he was starting to build up a sweat he finished his tenth lap and stood in front of Kotero, breathing heavily.

"Fifty push-ups, squats, jumping jacks, sit-ups and fifteen pull-ups! **COME ON! GET TO IT! I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!** " Kotero shouted. Naruto paled and quickly got to the ground to start doing his push-ups. Kotero watched him like a hawk, and when Naruto got to his forty-second push-up, Kotero slammed his foot into Naruto's back, making him drop to the ground.

"What the hell was that!? Don't be a bitch and do a half push-up. Take ten seconds and then do twenty more for your mistake!" Kotero yelled at Naruto, scaring him.

Naruto took deep breathes to regain his cool. ' _What the hell was I thinking, Nii-chan is insane!'_ he cried inside his head.

"Come on Naruto, that's ten seconds, or do you want me to add more!?" Kotero barked out. Naruto got to back to his push-ups, he saw Kotero also doing push-ups along with him, as a sign of support.

Naruto finished his added push-ups and immediately got to his squats. After his second squat, his legs were pulled from him and he fell on his rear. "You call that a **SQUAT!** What the hell are they teaching you in the academy!? Here Naruto watch me," he said. Kotero then did a low body squat with perfect form, "Now you do the same. Feet stuck to ground and think 'ass to grass' alright!" Kotero yelled at him.

Naruto not wanting to add to Kotero's wrath, quickly got to it. He did and finished the squats without any disruptions and began his jumping jacks. When the fiftieth was done, he heard Kotero mutter "At least they got one thing right," under his breath. He breathed deeply and raspy, sweat was pooling on his fore head and his hands were getting clammy. Naruto was then led by Kotero to the pull-up bars.

"You know how to do a pullup, right?" Kotero asked. Receiving a nod from Naruto, he then pointed his finger at the bar. Naruto jumped and grabbed the bar and began to do his pull-ups. He was struggling all the way through. On his fifth pull-up, he was hand palmed in the stomach, hard. He fell off the bars and onto the floor. "Your form was terrible in the last one. Take another ten seconds and start where you left off!" Kotero said with a commanding tone.

Naruto breathed as if his life depended on it. He got back up and did his pull-ups. He took his time and finished his set. He dropped to the ground and sucked the oxygen out of the air. Kotero smiled and went over to Naruto. He had a bottle of ice-cold water, a towel and a strange looking brown bar.

"Good work Naruto! Seems like Jiji was right that you had crazy stamina and can take lots of punishment. Clean yourself up, drink and eat this," Kotero said. He then handed Naruto the items and walked away from him.

Naruto used the towel to wipe the sweat off his face and poured the drink down his throat. He took the brown bar and scoffed it down. The taste was bland, and the texture felt strange and funny on his tongue. Then suddenly, a rush of energy flowed through his body. He was amazed, the difference of how he felt from only a minute ago was monumental.

"Nii-chan, what was that bar, I feel amazing after eating it," Naruto asked.

"Oh, it's an energy bar. The bar itself is based off the soldier pill recipe, it is easily digested and gives you more energy," Kotero answered as he was getting a box of shuriken, kunai and a pouch of senbon needles and placing them on the ground.

Naruto stood up and walked over to where the targets were. "We going to do target practice now?" he asked.

"Yes. You did tell me your aim was awful so it's something we need to improve. Now Naruto do you the difference between the different ways you have to throw shuriken, kunai and senbon needles?" Kotero asked Naruto.

"I was told but I don't think they explained it well to me or I even listened hehe," Naruto admitted.

"Alright, it looks like I have to give a quick crash course. The shuriken is, in my opinion the easiest out of the three to throw and master. It has perfect weight distribution and is completely symmetrical, so it's very easy to grip it properly when you're throwing it.

The kunai is a little harder to throw compared to the shuriken. It has a big head and a thin handle, so most of the weight is centred at the thickest part of the blade. So that means when we're throwing it, we give it a slight angle towards the sky, and I mean a tiny angle Naruto. You also must throw it a little higher than the intended target, because as it travels it dips. Don't worry about it too much, as you get better it'll come naturally.

Senbon needles are the hardest to master, but they are my favourite. Many ninja today are too good to get killed by shuriken and kunai, so when I use senbon needles, I can immobilize enemies and go in for the attack, if not kill them straight away with them. The needles are hard to master because you must be dead accurate. Certain places on the body, such as the neck and throat can make your body numb and stop the functions of some of your muscles. The needles can be used for therapy or put you in a near-death state.

Because they are long and thin, you can only throw them straight at the target. Shuriken can curve and kunai dip, but these needles can only follow a straight path or you'll miss your target and the needle would be useless," Kotero lectured to Naruto.

The blond Uzumaki just nodded along, soaking in every detail. He was engrossed by Kotero's explanations once again. Kotero was so easy to follow for Naruto.

"Ok! Now throw some shuriken at the training dummy. I'll see your form and fix it along the way," Kotero said as he stood beside Naruto. Naruto then went some distance, got into a comfortable stance and had his shuriken in hand. He then took a deep breath, focused on the targets and quickly threw the shuriken. He was surprised that they hit the wooden targets on the dummy's body, but they were nowhere near the black centre dot.

"Hm, that was better than I expected, but the enemy isn't going to be staying the one place and you missed the centres," Kotero said from the side. He walked over and started moving Naruto's body parts to put him in a new stance. "Now try it like this, but stiffen your shoulder a bit, have you elbow in line with the targets and your wrist isn't loose enough when you throw them," Kotero advised him.

Naruto took Kotero's advice in. When the last set of his shuriken were picked off the targets, Naruto settled into his new stance, breathed deeply once more. He aimed his elbow at the first target and threw the star. He repeated this with the other targets with as much pace he could muster.

"Nice work! Look at the difference Naruto, the shuriken are in deeper and they're closer to the target. Now we're going to repeat this until you get it right or if I get bored and move onto the next exercise," Kotero said while crossing his arms. The two brothers then practised Naruto's aim for the next forty-five minutes. He improved but out of every five throws, miss the target completely.

"Come on Naruto, we only have one exercise left before we get dinner," Kotero yelled as he went back toward the middle of the battle pitch. Naruto quickly followed. Lagging a bit behind, still not used to his new and intense training.

Kotero got several leaves and dumped them in the centre of the pitch. He then sat down and crossed his legs in a meditative position. Naruto finally reached him and sat directly across, mimicking the position Kotero was using. Naruto was wondering what they're going to do now.

"Naruto, how bad is your chakra control?" Kotero asked with a hint of a smile.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on Kotero. "Why do you think it's bad?" he asked.

"Well, am I wrong?" Kotero said with an evil smirk.

Naruto puffed his cheeks and looked angry at Kotero. "It's like everything else dattebayo, it's crap!" he admitted, disappointed that he's skills were terrible.

"Okay, that's all I needed to hear. You're going to do chakra control exercises every day, this will help conserve chakra, even though you have a ton, and it will improve your ninjutsu making them more effective. You may think it's boring, but anything is possible with chakra! So, I want you to stick these leaves to your forehead and fingertips. Once you got one on your forehead and a leaf on every finger, we're going to use chakra to rotate the leaves in place. Like this!" Kotero said. Kotero then showed what he just explained by rotating the leaves on his fingers and forehead. The leaves were moving extremely quickly, like propellers as a buzzing noise was coming off them.

"You need to make your chakra to have a suction effect on the leaves, if you apply force outward, it'll just shred the leaf. And since you're right handed it'll be easier for your chakra to rotate clockwise," he explained. Kotero then got up and walked towards the house wall.

"Once you learn how to do that exercise, you will be learning this!" he then climbed the walls and got up to the roof. "Next thing you know you'll walking on water and climbing waterfalls," Kotero said with a gleeful smile.

Naruto once again was amazed, his brother climbed the wall as if it was the ordinary floor. He looked at the leaves and tried the exercise, but he couldn't do it at all and failed miserably.

"Naruto, you're rushing it. Try it with just your forehead first, then include your fingers. And don't try spinning them until they all stick on your fingers. And do the same thing, one at a time. I know you want to be Hokage, but even the Hokage took their time training. It's how smart you train, not just how much. You could waste hours doing it your way or spend a fraction of time doing it the smart way.

NOW! Go do that until I call for dinner, I'll make you a big meal for the work you did today," Kotero yelled from the rooftop. He jumped down and landed silently on the ground, he then waved at Naruto, going inside to prepare for the feast to come.

Naruto looked at the leaves again, thinking through Kotero's words. ' _It's not how much I train, it's how smart I train. I see why Kotero-nii is so strong while he's only a few years older than me, he's been training hard and smart ever since he could! I better prove that I'm worth teaching.'_ He thought _._ Naruto then picked up a lone leaf and placed it on his forehead. He applied his chakra to it, but it instantly slid off. ' _Not enough chakra!'_ Naruto thought.

He tried it again and this time the leaf blew off from the force.

' _Damn! Now it's too much!'_ Naruto thought.

This happened for about ten minutes, finally the leaf was stuck to Naruto's forehead. ' _Sweet! Now stay still!'_ he internally cried. He stayed in place and the leaf didn't budge, he swayed his head from side to side, and yet the leave didn't fall off. Smiling for his small achievement. He started to put leaves on his right hand.

He started with the thumb, and thankfully it didn't fall off instantly. Then he put one on the index finger but it fell off, he tried again and now it blasted off. In the hour and a half that Naruto was trying to control the leaves he only got as far as holding leaves on his forehead and right hand. He found it very difficult to maintain the control. And when he tried putting some leaves on his left hand, there was too much to concentrate with. He was going to attempt it once more.

"Naruto! Grub is done, get in before it gets cold," Kotero shouted from the kitchen. Naruto immediately went inside to see a meal fit for kings.

On the table, there was a huge assortment of sushi. There were tons of different pieces, most of them had a type of fish n them. There was also a large bowl of vegetables placed beside where Naruto. There was the same soup from the morning, just a larger bowl. A rice bowl, more vegetables and an instant ramen cup was also present.

Naruto wasted no time and dug into the food. He was hoovering the ramen noodles and then when he finished, he started to stuff his face with the sushi. After he ate the cup and his plate. He went to the soup and sucked all up. Having a small burp, he scoffed down the rice bowl.

Finally, Naruto looked at what was remaining, he grimaced at the veggie bowl and salads. He gulped and ate as quickly as possible, ' _Uh, why can't it taste porky!?'_ he thought _._ After five minutes of munching on broccoli, spinach and other greens. He sighed and drank the water that was the table.

"So, how far did you get?" Kotero asked with one eye focused on Naruto.

"It's hard Nii-chan. I got the leaves to stick to my forehead eventually, then all the fingertips on my right hand. But when I tried with my left hand, it went downhill. I couldn't keep it sticking and they all slid off," Naruto complained as he went off to the couch to lie down.

"It's not supposed to be easy Naruto! You'll get it soon enough. It will be a week or a month from now. I know you can do it. I sensed your chakra is wild, and it'll be harder for you to control it. And before you ask, I was just blessed when it comes to chakra control, thank my lucky stars or something like that!" Kotero said loudly while he was cleaning the dishes.

' _Naruto's chakra must be wild for either two reasons, actually it's probably because of these reasons. He is clearly untrained at controlling his chakra. Poor boy, he has so much that anything he does it's going to be too much. The other must be because of the Kyūbi. The seal within him must be affecting his chakra pathways. I'll have to find out what seal is used. It's must likely the Eight Trigrams Seal. An Uzumaki seal is the only calibre of seal that can restrain the Kyūbi,_ ' Kotero thought.

Naruto was listening to him intently. It felt nice to know that Kotero believed in him. He felt his tiredness catch up to body. Before he even realised his world turned to darkness and he fell into a nap.

* * *

 **The Nara Compound**

"I'm home," Shikamaru said as he opened his house door.

"Ah, Shika you're home. Want to play a game of Shogi?" an older man known as Shikaku asked his son.

Shikamaru smirked at his dad, "Sure thing Oyaji," he said. The two walked into another room where a shogi board was set up. They sat in their respective places and started their game.

Both were concentrating hard but by their standards they would call it casual. Shikamaru remembered a certain redhead that he had his dad about. "Oyaji?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hm?" was all he got from the scarred man.

"Today, something strange happened," he said.

"What do you mean by strange?" Shikaku said while focusing his gaze onto his son's eyes.

"Naruto changed," Shikamaru stated simply.

Shikaku was now very interested but didn't let it show. "How has he changed?" he asked.

"He has a new outfit for starters, thankfully he isn't as loud as he used to be and the conversations he had with Chōji and me weren't troublesome," Shikamaru said with a bored tone, waving his hands in a lazy motion.

Shikaku thought on the words carefully, knowing it was the appearance of the new Uzumaki that caused the change. His concentration was broken by his son.

"Some guy called Kotero was at the academy gates, he was waiting for Naruto. They seemed to know each other because Naruto did call him Nii-chan, and now that I think about, they look similar and they both have the Uzumaki name," Shikamaru yawned out the last part.

"What do you think of Kotero?" Shikaku asked.

A small grin and a twinkle appeared in his eyes. "I like him, he's funny and laid-back. Also, he seems like a powerful ninja. I can see that Naruto looks up to him. To be honest, I want to get to know him better," Shikamaru said.

A small grin similar to his son's, grew on Shikaku's face. He had to hand it to his son when it came to analysing people or situations, he always hit the nail on the head. "You're correct to assume that he's a powerful ninja. We had a council meeting two days ago about Kotero," he told his son.

"Oh? And what did you find out about him?" Shikamaru asked as he was more interested in the new redhead than playing shogi.

"He had an evaluation to test his skills before he was allowed to become a ninja to the village as he was an outsider. According to the reports, he defeated two Jōnin and came out in top in both matches in most aspects. Hatake Kakashi, one of our elite Jōnin was beaten by him. He gave his own report on Kotero in the meeting. Even though both Kotero and Kakashi weren't going one hundred percent, he was easily a Jōnin through and through. Even the Hokage said so," Shikaku said. "I'm looking forward to the day I meet this Uzumaki Kotero."

Shikamaru was stunned by the revelation, ' _No wonder Naruto was stuck to him like glue!'_ he thought.

A sly grin took its place on Shikamaru's face. "I take it that I'm going to hear more stories about him in the future then?" he said as more of a statement than a question.

"Hm, yes I'm sure he'll make a big name for himself and checkmate," Shikaku stood up and left, leaving a confused Shikamaru staring at the board.

"Damn. I lost again!" Shikamaru said to no-one in particular, and then left the room himself.

* * *

 **At The Uzumaki Residence**

"And that's how basic sealing works," Kotero said, as he was drawing a basic seal and showing Naruto basic seal diagrams.

"So, there are types of seals that have a unique type of foundation, and for any purpose you need an array of markings and other intricate seals to form a chain. This chain is usually in the shape of a circle. It can also be a straight or curved line and those are the three most basic shapes. If one of the seals isn't right, the chain is broken and the seal simply doesn't work or it can blow up. Is that everything?" Naruto said as his mouth was running dry.

"Yes, in the most simple of terms, that's right. But it's not completely true. Seals comes in all shapes and sizes. You might need a Kanji instead of another seal, or a special curve to make a pathway. And I didn't go into the foundation part with enough detail. There are three common seal foundations that I'd say dominate the sealing world. There's chakra infused ink seals and chakra infused blood seals. And chakra seals that are created on the go, so essentially made from just your chakra.

These seals are hard for even the experienced. The other types are only mentioned because people experimented to try to make new types of seals but there was no point as anything you could do with those, you could just use ink or blood, and the seals themselves were very inefficient. We're not going to talk about them at all just to let you know," Kotero said. Currently he was acting in his 'Teacher mode' that Naruto dubbed.

"So, what's next?" Naruto asked.

Taking a clean scroll, a new brush and a jar of ink. Kotero handed Naruto the items. "You're going to practice your handwriting now. It must be perfect if you want to be any good at sealing. So, you're going to go through these difficult exercises in this book. The book is filled with kanji and various symbols. Start here and draw them all in nice even spacings. Try and get it as close to what the picture looks like. When you finished the page, redo it and I'll have a look at what you did tomorrow," Kotero answered. He then stood up and gathered some of his scrolls and went for the door.

"Do that for an hour. Then, clean yourself up and go to bed. Also... good work out there, you were fantastic already Naruto. We might practice a bit of basic ninjutsu tomorrow. I'm going to do some work in my study," Kotero said before he left Naruto's room.

After he heard the door for the study close, he dived straight into work. He looked the first Kanji and it was for water. ' _I should just take my time with this!'_ Naruto thought as he slowly copied the kanjis on the page, not trying to screw up with his terrible handwriting skills. Time flew by and before he knew it, it was already ten o'clock. He got off his chair and put away his brush and jar of water, not letting dry out.

Naruto left his work on his desk as he knows he's going to go back to it tomorrow. He was getting excited for the next day, learning ninjutsu. However, he remembered something bad.

' _I don't know my hand seals,'_ he thought with disappointment. He left his room and went to where the study was. He knocked on the door lightly.

"Come in," he heard so he opened the door to see Kotero working on his seal again.

"What's the matter Naruto, you look sad. Did something go wrong?" Kotero asked with concern dripping out of his voice.

Naruto felt nervous, he didn't know what his reaction would be once Kotero finds out that he can't do basic hand seals. "Eh, Kotero-nii, I need to work on hand seals, because I don't know my hand seals," Naruto admitted with his head looking down at his feet.

There was silence for about five seconds. "Alright, we'll just add to the never-ending list of what I need to teach you! I'll tell ya about one right now. For the ox hand seal, you put your left hand up like this, spread out your fingers, then with your right hand's fingers, you put them between the gaps with the pinkie finger of the right hand going on the outside. There are eleven others, and these make up the basic hand seals. We'll have a look at it tomorrow when we train again. You cool with that?" Kotero responded to his little brother.

Naruto nods his head, and then formed the ox hand seal. He smiled from the ease, he wondered on why he would struggle with this before today. Naruto was about to set off but was stopped by Kotero grabbing his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Kotero's happy face. Kotero then kneeled down and put his other hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, I have one piece of advice for you," he said, his amethyst eyes piercing into Naruto's clear cerulean blue.

"What is it Kotero-nii?" Naruto questioned with curiosity.

"You want to be the best, right?" he asked.

"Of course I do! How else am I going to be Hokage?" Naruto cried out.

A small laugh escaped Kotero's lips, he calmed down and focused on Naruto. "It's good to have that goal. However, we're ninja, and ninja are known for their deception right. So, promise me, that you'll stay toward the bottom or even go as far to the middle of the class in the academy. And hear me out before you complain! There's an old saying; "A famous ninja, is a dead ninja."

If you stick out from the crowd then you'll be targeted by ninja from other villages. That's bad! And if the enemy ninja underestimates you, then you can destroy them with your hidden superior skills. So, be average to the eye, but amazing in the heart. If only you and your comrades know your true strength, then you have a big advantage. Do you see where I'm coming from," Kotero said with a raised eye-brow.

Naruto thought over the words. It made sense, it would benefit him a lot more rather than paint a huge target on his back. The desire to show everyone how great he was very strong but he didn't want to disappoint his brother or get himself killed in the future. "Fine, but you're going to teach me some ninjutsu because of this," he demanded.

"Of course! We'll do that in the future, when you're about to become a Genin, I'll teach all that stuff. Now have a shower and go to bed, I still have work to do!" Kotero replied to his little brother. ' _This will give me time to learn some ninjutsu as well!'_ he thought.

After Naruto had a quick shower, he got into the same night outfit he wore yesterday and crawled into bed. ' _It seems the road to be a Hokage is a long, winding and tough path. It's the path of a hard life. But hard is the only way I know,'_ Naruto then drifted off to a deep sleep.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	3. Chapter 3 - Dual Mission

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto.**_ _ **All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 3 - Dual Mission**

"So, you're leaving tomorrow," Naruto said at the kitchen table, helping his older brother clear off the dinner.

"Yeah, Hokage-Jiji wants me at his office at nine o'clock. He's pairing me up with a seasoned Jōnin and we're forming a two-man cell. I know it won't be that bad but to be honest I'm a bit nervous!" Kotero said with his focus on cleaning the dishes in the sink.

"I have no idea why you're nervous, you're one of the strongest ninja in the village already dattebayo. And look at me now! I'm so much better than I was a couple weeks ago and that's because of your training!" Naruto said.

Naruto was right. In the four and bit weeks that Kotero has been teaching Naruto, Naruto's skills have improved massively. Naruto would admit that Kotero's training regime was brutal and extremely painful, but the results were spectacular.

Naruto's already had impressive strength and speed for a boy his age who only ate ramen, but since adding doing lots of strenuous exercises, his strength and speed grew. His body started building a bit more muscle and his skin was glowing because of the more nutrient dense diet Kotero has been shovling down his throat.

He also has been practicing his shurikenjutsu every day. A few months ago, he would struggle to hit the target even once and now he can hit the targets every time. He still needed work as out of every ten or so shots, he would get only one bullseye.

Naruto's chakra control however was not progressing as well, both the Uzumaki brothers thought he wouldn't have this much difficulty with the leaf exercise. Naruto has gotten every leaf to stick on his fingers and one on his forehead. He also managed to progress far enough to start spinning the leaves in a clockwise motion. The speed was painfully slow compared to Kotero's.

Naruto tried spinning them counter-clockwise but it wouldn't work for him. Naruto got very down-spirited from this but this didn't last long. Kotero said that for all the skills he acquired, he spent countless hours, weeks, months and years to acquire them and Naruto was being too impatient and he was comparing himself too much to Kotero and his other classmates.

As to Naruto's earlier statement for not knowing hand seals, Kotero put it upon himself to drill everything he knew about hand seals and how they manipulated chakra to perform different jutsu into Naruto's brain. He showed Naruto every basic hand seal and made him perform them one after the other. He relentlessly corrected Naruto's hands form to make the seals as perfect as possible.

Kotero started testing Naruto by asking for different hand seals one after the other and to do it as quickly as possible. This however resulted in a lot of sore fingers for Naruto as he kept messing up. He improved steadily and surely, but as with everything else, it needed work.

Kotero saw Naruto's taijutsu style that he learnt from himself and the academy, he nearly vomited from the horrible form and the lack of flow and grace. It was very sloppy, almost as if Naruto was trying to be a underground street brawler. He had so many openings in his stance it was making Kotero cringe. He had to fix it, so he started teaching Naruto the Whirling Fist fighting style. It was easy for Naruto to transition from his dismal academy style to his clan's taijutsu style. There was nothing holding Naruto back.

Kotero, once again was brutal to Naruto when doing taijutsu training. Whenever the were sparred, he would hit Naruto hard when he was making mistakes, but these hits were beneficial, Kotero's punches, kicks and hands were guiding Naruto's body to make the stances. Kotero couldn't make full use of Uzuken as the dangerous style would snap Naruto like a twig if he could fight with nothing to hold him back.

In the academy, Naruto was much quieter in class, taking in all the lessons. He was still a very loud person, probably the loudest in the whole village. But ever since his big brother has come into his life, he has become much calmer and he now knows when to shut the hell up. This was only noticed by Shikamaru, Chōji, Hinata and Iruka. The two boys noticed it because the three have become very good friends. Hinata was noticing Naruto's changes as she often stared at him for unnecessarily long periods of time. Iruka couldn't help but not notice the sudden change, and he was wondering what the cause of it was.

However, he couldn't care less anyway, Naruto was quickly becoming one of his most favourite students to teach and this growth of maturity was a great thing for the teacher-student pair. The other students still see him as the loud-mouthed, orange wearing, ramen eating dead-last. Strangely enough, Naruto didn't care, he was keeping his improvements and new skills hidden and he only cared for the opinions of his two friends, the Hokage and his big brother.

Naruto wasn't the only one to improve himself over the month probation. Kotero had asked the Hokage if he could do any medical related work. The Hokage was overjoyed when he heard the offer as the hospital has complained for years of being understaffed. He was immediately put to work. He had to do a six hour shift every day, from nine to three o'clock. While Naruto was in the academy learning and Kotero would be healing.

When Kotero arrived at the hospital for his first day, the Hokage was right in that there they were understaffed. To solve this problem Kotero made three shadow clones, one for each floor of the hospital.

He was pleased he took the job for another reason however. The volume of food Naruto and himself ate was quite large and expensive. He still had plenty of money that he earned over his travels but it was getting too small for his liking and the job helped pay out for their pigging. Especially for Naruto's ramen addiction.

"Thanks Naruto. Coming from you, it means a lot!" Kotero said with a heartfelt smile.

"I would be lying if I said anything else Nii-chan!" Naruto replied.

"Hm, if you say so. Say how's your calligraphy coming? Your handwriting has improved so much from the scribbles you used to do though that still wasn't perfect," Kotero asked.

"It's hard Nii-chan. I don't if I can do it ttebayo!" Naruto said with a crestfallen face.

Kotero just sighed and put his hand to his forehead. "If it was easy Naruto then everybody would be a seal-master. It's all about practice, practice and more practice. And then after blood, sweat and tears you master it! That's how all skills are required so stop being a bitch about it and just work on it. Nothing comes to you on a silver platter," he said with a small smile.

"I know! I just want to get stronger!" Naruto cried out, acting like a small child.

"I hope it's not for selfish reasons! I'll stop helping you if power is all you desire," Kotero said seriously.

Naruto knew he hit a nerve and he quickly put his hands up in a surrender position. " **NO!** I want to get stronger so I can become Hokage, to do our clan proud and to protect my friends and you ttebayo!" he shouted.

A smile crept on Kotero's face. ' _That's the answer I was looking for!_ ' he thought.

"Good! But Naruto, as your Nii-chan it's my job to protect you. Anyway, in a few years you'll be strong enough so we can mind each other's backs," Kotero told him before going back to cleaning.

Naruto was relieved that Kotero calmed down. He noticed through the month that whenever he mentioned how Sasuke was better than him, Kotero growled out and muttered something under his breath. He never questioned it at the times as he didn't want Kotero to add more exercises to the already brutal training regime but since he was leaving tomorrow and he won't be back for a few days, he thought now would be better than never. "Kotero-nii?" Naruto said.

"Yeah, what is it Naruto?" he replied with a raised eyebrow looking at Naruto, he was currently drying off the plates.

"I noticed in the past you get real mad whenever I mentioned Sasuke or his skills. I'm wondering why?" Naruto asked with curiosity.

Kotero put the plate away and put both his hands on the sink counter. Sighing deeply, he twirled around to face Naruto.

"I get annoyed because Jiji told me of his past. All he can think is of revenge now. It's depressing and it pisses me off. I won't lie and say I wouldn't get pissed off too, but I hate the fact he's so cold to everyone around him. He's pushing everyone and anyone who's trying to be his friend away. It's like he wants to be alone for the rest of his life," he said with a deadly tone. He then stared directly into Naruto's eyes, as if he was piercing his soul. "If you ever think like that. I will beat it out of **YOU** **!** " Kotero said coldly.

' _But he did lose all his family... Maybe I shouldn't have such a harsh opinion on him, Naruto and I are similiar to Sasuke in that respect,'_ Kotero thought after his rant.

Naruto paled to a deathly white. He didn't need to be told twice that the threat was real. He gulped, "Don't worry. I don't think I'll be able to think like that dattebayo," he said with a shaky smile. The two Uzumaki stared for a few seconds, but for Naruto it felt like an eternity.

Kotero's deadly gaze vanished and his lips formed into a sweet smile. "Good! Now Naruto go upstairs and work on your calligraphy before going to bed. Go before I make you do a midnight workout," Kotero warned, as he went back to cleaning.

Naruto ran like hell and climbed the stairs, as if his life depended on it. He entered his room and went over to his desk. Pulling out the scroll he's been working on his handwriting for, he continued his work, doing exercises that were in the book. An hour went by, and a knock on his door came. Naruto walked to the door and opened it. "Nii-chan what is it? I'm working like you said ttebayo," Naruto said with a tired expression.

Kotero walked in and sat on Naruto's desk chair. "I have a few exercises I want you to be doing while I'm gone. You'll be taking a break from the training we've been doing. I only want you to really work on chakra control. Chakra control is the key to everything," Kotero said while putting a scroll on the desk.

Receiving a nod from Naruto, he got up and leaving the room. Stopping at the door, he looked at Naruto once more, "I'm going to bed now, I have a busy day tomorrow I have to prepare for," Kotero told his little brother.

Naruto mockingly saluted his brother with a huge grin as Kotero was leaving the room. When the door closed, Naruto went to get his night clothes, he changed into them after a quick shower. He then hopped into bed and went out like a light.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

"Do you know what you're learning today Naruto?" Kotero asked. He was walking slowly beside Naruto with his hands in his pockets.

"Ehh, yesterday we went over the second great ninja war. I think we're going to do the same thing dattebayo," Naruto answered.

"Hmm, they don't teach you enough in terms of skills but they can dish out history lessons as if they were sale. How do they expect you to survive outside the walls if they're teaching you only history?" Kotero asked rhetorically.

"I know ttebayo!" Naruto agreed fully.

"Huh, looks like we arrived," Kotero said in a bored tone. The two Uzumaki brothers were at the entrance to the academy complex. They saw the approaching crowd staring at them. Kotero then looked at Naruto. "Alright little man. I'm going to the mission office now. Don't mess up the house while I'm gone. You can bring Shikamaru and Chōji over if you get bored," Kotero told his little brother.

"Thanks Kotero-nii!" Naruto said, then he jumped into his big brother's arms and squeezed the life out of him. "Good luck on your mission!" he said as he went back to the ground.

"Thanks Naruto! I'll see you in a few days," Kotero said as he ruffled Naruto's hair and went off to the Hokage's office.

Naruto fixed his ruffled hair and went inside the academy. He walked through the corridors until he saw his classroom. He entered in and saw his two friends sitting in the front. As by routine he descended the stairs and took his usual seat by Shikamaru.

"Oi Naruto! We were wondering when you would finally come," Shikamaru said with a small smile. Chōji was as per usual munching on food.

Naruto yawned and wiped his eyes. "Sorry guys. Kotero-nii was going off for a mission and I wanted to say bye."

"Hey don't worry about. Do you know what type of mission it is?" Shikamaru asked, having an active interest in the Uzumaki brothers.

"No, he's only receiving the details today. All I know is what he told me yesterday. He's a member of a two man-cell team and his partner will be a seasoned Jōnin."

"Oh? That's interesting. From what I remember, Oyaji said he beat two Jōnin, one of them being an elite, this must be a high ranked mission," Shikamaru said only loud enough for his two friends to hear.

"Two Jōnin!? Damn Naruto your brother is strong, like really strong," Chōji gasped quietly.

Naruto just started to sway his head, "Believe me Chōji, I know how strong Kotero-nii is. I feel it every day!" Naruto said as he started rubbing his bruised ribs. "I never see him at full power though. He has to hold back so much when he's training me. I wouldn't be surprised if he could beat me into a bloody pulp in less than a second!" Naruto quietly cried out

The two others paled at this. "What is training like with Kotero Naruto?" Chōji asked, curious to know more about the redhead.

"He's ruthless, brutal and damn right scary. He did warn me a month ago that this will not be easy. That was a **HUGE** understatement! He punishes me when I do half-form exercises and is always criticizing my actions when I do it wrong! When we spar, he beats me into our proper fighting stance. The whole training is painful. But I wouldn't have it any other way dattebayo!" Naruto said with a gleeful smile.

"You basically said he beats you up for making a mistake and you sound like you enjoy it! What the hell is wrong with you?" Shikamaru had to ask, forcing his voice down not to shout because of the surprise. For him, the whole training thing seemed too troublesome. Chōji was in the same line of thought, he was so concentrated on his thoughts that he was ignoring his potato crisps.

"I don't enjoy the pain dattebayo! But with this training, I've improved so much already and it's only been a month. I'm stronger, faster, more accurate, my taijutsu is improving. My chakra control is still bad but it was non-existent before ttebayo. Yeah so what if it's painful, it works for me and I'm improving," Naruto exclaimed.

"So, are you going to try go for rookie of the year?" Chōji asked, resuming to his munching.

"Nah, I'll leave that to duck-butt up there. Kotero-nii said deception is one of the greatest tools a ninja could have. I'm aiming for just the middle or even lower than that" Naruto replied. "Ah, we have fifteen minutes before class starts. I need to strain the dragon. See ya," Naruto said. He then walked up the stairs, leaving his two friends who wore disgusted faces.

As Naruto was walking up the stairs, Ino and Sakura speeded their way to try and sit beside Sasuke. Ino stopped suddenly and Sakura crashed into Naruto's shoulder. Naruto held his ground and Sakura recoiled off him. Naruto then continued his path towards the bathroom. Sakura got real mad and rushed towards Naruto. "Watch where you're going Naruto-baka!" she threw a punch at the back of Naruto's head.

Without needing to look behind, Naruto simply moved his head to the left and let Sakura's punch go through air. She fell from lack of balance and hit the floor. "It's not very nice to try and hit people when they aren't looking Sakura," Naruto said as he kept walking to the bathroom to do his business.

The students in the class were shocked to say the least of how Naruto handled the situation. Shikamaru turned his head to Chōji and a big grin appeared. "You know, I've waited for something like that to happen for a long time. And I'm glad that Naruto was the one to do it!" he said before laughing softly with Chōji.

Naruto was taking his leak, thinking over what just happened. ' _She bumped into me and she says for me to watch out. How rude! Looks like we're going to have sushi when Kotero-nii comes back. Mystic bastard, how did he know without even meeting her!'_ Naruto mused. He flushed the urinal, washed his hands and headed back to the classroom. The angry scowl from Sakura was not unnoticed by Naruto as he retook his place.

"Hey guys, Kotero-nii said I can invite you guys over to our house after school. You want to come?" Naruto asked his two friends.

"Sorry Naruto, I can't. My dad wants me to help him today," Chōji said rather glumly.

"I'll come over, Oyaji doesn't need the deer herded today so I have loads of free time," Shikamaru said with his usual bored expression.

At that moment Iruka and Mizuki entered the classroom. "Good morning class!" they both said to their class.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei," the class spoke in mixed voices.

Naruto got comfortable in his seat. ' _Today is going to be a long day!'_ he thought as the lesson began.

* * *

 **Hokage Tower**

Kotero walked into the mission administrations room. It was an open room with a long desk at the end, there was a balcony with a wooden rail. There was a Chūnin assistant helping the Hokage distribute missions and some papers. Kotero made himself known. "Good morning Hokage-sama!" he said out loud.

Hiruzen lifted his head up, when he saw his favourite redhead, he smiled and motioned Kotero to come closer. "Great to see you Kotero! The mission I have for you is in my office. I'll be there in five minutes. Go on ahead and wait for me," the old man said in his grandfatherly voice. Kotero nodded and left for his office. It was a very short walk to reach the office doors.

When he arrived, he saw a man in a standard Jōnin outfit with a sash on his waist with the kanji of 'Fire' on it. The man had a cigarette hanging off his lip. He had a thick beard with no moustache and his black hair was long on top. The man in front of him reminded him of the Hokage. ' _I bet it's his son,'_ he thought.

"Excuse me but are you Sarutobi Asuma?" Kotero asked politely.

The man focused his gaze on Kotero. When he saw Kotero's red hair, his face softened. "Yeah I am. You must be Uzumaki Kotero. I heard from Kakashi that you beat him," Asuma said as he put his hand out for it to be shaken. "Don't think your rematch will go the same way."

Kotero smiled at his correct assumption and shakes Asuma's hand. "Ha! I don't. I'm glad he isn't sore about the loss. I heard from your dad that you're an extremely skilled ninja, and a fellow wind-user!" Kotero gleefully said.

Asuma was surprised from what Kotero said. A wind user was rare, even in Suna and the wind country, even rarer outside. But the compliment from his father was the biggest shock. The father and son pair haven't seen eye to eye as of late. To hear that his father, the Hokage, thought he was an extremely skilled ninja was nice to hear. Even with their arguments, they were still family.

"A wind user? Tou-san didn't say you were one," Asuma said, holding back the surprise in his voice.

"I haven't learnt any jutsu because my Kaa-chan was a water elemental user and I didn't have any jutsu scrolls to learn from. I can channel chakra to my weapons and that's as much I can do!" Kotero told Asuma.

"Still, Kotero that's a high level skill. You have to be talented to do it so young and have no-one to teach it to you," Asuma pointed out.

"You can say I'm talented but I would disagree, I put a ton of work into manipulating elemental chakra. It was just time and practice, that's all," Kotero explained while putting his hands behind his head.

Asuma's opinion of the redhead was growing and growing. He was obviously smart and strong, but he was humble and confident in his skills. ' _Tou-san was right, I am going to like him!'_ Asuma thought.

They chatted for another two minutes until the Hokage arrived. He entered his office and the two ninja followed him in. The Hokage sat in his office chair and took out two scrolls. "This will be a double B-ranked mission for the both of you. The first mission includes the delivery of Konoha's finance reports and other money related issues to the capital. The economy is slowing down and we could hit a small recession. If the other villages find out, it will be detrimental to all of Konoha, so that's why it's a B-rank.

The second B-ranked mission is to clear out a small bandit camp that has caused disturbances southwest of the capital. Usually this would be a high C-rank mission but the apparent leaders are missing nin from Iwa. They are brothers that specialize in earth ninjutsu and are very dangerous. Both are B-ranked by themselves but together they are an A-level threat! I have my trust in you two that these will be successful missions," Hiruzen said. He was very serious of the circumstances.

"Of course Hokage-sama," both said in unison. Asuma turned to Kotero and asked "You have everything you need?" he asked.

Kotero patted his dark grey Chūnin flak-jacket and felt for his swords. His hands glided down to feel pouches. He looked in into the right pouch, took out a scroll with a green top on it. It was his medical supply scroll. He packed it back in and looked at Asuma "I have everything," Kotero answered with a nod.

Asuma smiled. "Well let's get going then!" Asuma said as he went over to his dad to get the Konoha finance report. "Thanks, Tou-san, see ya later," he said with a happy face, in his mind he decided to mend the strained relationship between him and his father.

Hiruzen was a bit spooked by this, he wasn't called Tou-san since Asuma left to become a ninja guardian. He smiled, "Good luck Asuma!" he said.

Asuma and Kotero walked out of the office and went to the gates. They both signed out and began their journey to the fire country's capital. Kotero has only been there twice and both times he felt like he was suffocating. There were many people living there, many merchants and buyers doing their trade and gangs roaming the different sections of the city. It was not the nicest place according to Kotero's experience.

"Asuma?" Kotero said once they were just outside the Village gates and walls.

"Hm, something wrong?" Asuma asked, he didn't know why they stopped just before they were going to begin their long sprint North.

"Well, it's just that scroll is really important, I was thinking we can seal it and use a blood seal so it would only react to our chakra," Kotero said looking at the Jōnin.

Asuma took a second to think about it. He then tossed the scroll to Kotero and nodded. "Tou-san said you were a seal-master. I would like to watch you work!" he said.

"Alright but it'll just look like a bunch of scribbles to you," Kotero chuckled out.

"What is a seal-master Kotero?" Asuma asked, he really didn't know what the title stood for.

Kotero looked at Asuma for two seconds before answering,"It's a hard question to answer. There's no test or anything to show you are one. I think the term came from just seasoned sealers that taught people how to seal. You know, some students refer to their teachers as master, so that's where I think it came from. If I had to really say what a seal-master is, I would have to say that the sealer has to be experienced and skilled enough in the basic three basic types of seals. Offensive, defensive and supplementary seals.

Offensive of course has to do with attacking seals such as exploding tags and element canon tags. Element canon tags are very diffucult to create, but they are very handy. A big fat fireball could launch out of one and burn your enemies. There are other types of offensive seals, but that would get us into the nitty gritty.

Defensive seals all have to do with barriers or shields and so on and so forth. Supplementry seals is the term used for non-combative seals or seals used to make life easier essentially. This could range from lock seals which are used to lock houses. Security seals to protect walls and windows. Fountain seals to release stored up water for your garden. The storage seal is the parent seal to the fountain seal, but the fountain seal can release a certain amount of water at a set time.

There are other types of seals, but I don't want to bore you. I would say you can call yourself a seal-master if you are proficient in those three areas of sealing and you have the basics down to perfection," Kotero explained with some hand gestures.

Asuma was stunned from the information dump and just nodded. He needed to process the vast amount of information given to him.

Kotero took out a small scroll, an ink brush and a jar of black ink. Kotero then crouched to the ground. He poured some of the ink in a saucer that was beside the jar and he then sliced his finger and let some of the blood drop into the ink. He quickly healed his finger with the **Mystic Palm technique** , the cut stitched itself back together and disappeared, as if nothing has happened to it at all.

"Asuma, I'll need some of your blood to mix into the ink," Kotero said while looking up to the bearded Sarutobi. Asuma without hesitation made a cut on his index finger and let the blood drops go into the saucer. Kotero shifted to the bleeding hand, quickly wiped the blood off with one hand and healed the cut with the other. Asuma was very impressed.

"You have great healing skills!" Asuma complimented

"Thanks, but I still have lots to learn!" Kotero replied with a smile.

Kotero then mixed the ink and blood into one mixture. It was a very dull red. Kotero then begin to draw the intricate seal arrays to would make a storage blood seal. He finished the seal in a flash and left it to dry. After five seconds, he placed the finance report scroll on the seal and pulsed some of his chakra to it. The finance report scroll was sealed, so he closed the storage scroll and handed it to Asuma.

Asuma's expression was of shock. Kotero was so clean and quick when making the seal. His father had some knowledge of fuinjutsu and he was told blood seals were harder to create and make than regular seals. Getting over his shock, he thanked Kotero and the two ninja flew off into the forest.

Their plan was to run all the way to the capital, have a good night's rest. Visit the Fire Daimyō in their scheduled meeting the next morning. Gather information on where the bandit camp is located from the city dwellers, find the camp and finally destroy the camp and neutralise the targets. Then return to Konoha and report for mission success.

Asuma and Kotero only chatted briefly from time to time, mainly to check if the other was doing alright. They traversed most of the fire country, running and jumping through most of the forests and grassy plains that are found there. They didn't take one break and finally after six hours of high speed travel, they made it to the outskirts of the Capital. They avoided the infamous forest that claimed many lives, the forest known as the Jagged Wild Forest.

Asuma and Kotero slowed down and then walked. After half an hour of going through the growing crowds, the duo made it to the centre of the Western District. They both looked up at the clock tower and saw it was only half three in the afternoon.

"So, what do we do now? We don't need to see the Daimyō until tomorrow morning," Kotero asked Asuma, as Asuma was the leader of the mission.

Asuma took his eyes off the clock and then patted Kotero's shoulder. "We'll book a room for ourselves and then we'll go to a bar for a meal. It'll be my treat!" he offered with a smile.

"Ah Asuma, you don't have to," Kotero quickly replied.

Asuma frowned at this, "It's not an option, consider it captain's orders! And if you still feel guilty, you can tell how you kicked Kakashi's ass as payment. Fair?" Asuma said as he pulled on Kotero's shoulder, motioning him to follow. Kotero sighed deeply and followed Asuma after he went off.

The two went to a hotel that was situated close to the palace where the fire Daimyō resided. It was in the Western District of the Capital. One of four equally sized districts that make up the mighty city.

They booked a simple room with separate beds. The room was lacking in the luxury department, but the price was outrageous.

' _Another reason why I hate the capital, everything is so damn expensive! What do you expect when it's the richest of the four Districts though,_ ' Kotero thought as he and Asuma went up the stairs to their room.

They entered their hotel room and they weren't surprised from the lack of furniture. Two single beds, one beside their own wall. There was a small wooden nightstand beside each bed with a lamp on them.

A small window just to let some sunlight in. There were no chairs or tables as the room was quite small, some would say snug.

After Asuma left his bag in the room, the duo went off to find a bar.

They didn't need to look far, five minutes into their search, they find a lively bar, brimmed with people. Asuma and Kotero went inside. Kotero goes in search for a booth for the two. Luckily, he finds one in the nick of time, he quickly claims it to ward off potential booth snatchers. Asuma comes back with a bottle of Sake and two saucers.

"I ordered some barbequed meat for us to eat. Hope you don't mind," Asuma said as his sat down across Kotero. He poured the alcohol into the saucers and gives the first one to Kotero. Receiving a nod of thanks from Kotero, he then pours his own saucer.

Kotero scoops up his saucer and downs the sake in one shot. "Ahhhhh, I love that feeling when it goes down your throat. Nothing like it! That's good stuff, where's it from? The land of Rice?" Kotero asked as he proceeded to pour another saucer.

"No, it's a vintage bottle from the Land of Honey, it was going for half-price here, so I had to buy it!" Asuma replied as he put down his empty saucer.

"Really, wow!" Kotero quietly said, knowing a bit too much about the acholic beverage and knowing it wasn't the Land of Honey's speciality.

"Now, I believe that you owe me the story of how you beat Kakashi," Asuma asked with curiosity dripping off his voice. Kakashi was one of the strongest in the village. Asuma knew that Kotero wasn't lucky in his fight, Kakashi was too good to be beaten just by being lucky.

"Well, I was with your dad and we were talking about the first great ninja war and other stuff and Kakashi was two hours late. Which didn't surprise your dad in the least so I didn't complain about it," Kotero said while moving his hands around with his talking.

"Yeah typical Kakashi, you should expect that in the future if you ever get for him for a mission!" Asuma laughed out.

Kotero raised his left eyebrow at this. "Anyway, the fight began and it was intense from the get go, and then…"

* * *

 **Konoha**

"Your house is huge!" Shikamaru gasped as he saw the front of the house.

"I know, I'm so grateful I'm living here rather than my old apartment. The main bathroom is like the same size as my old place. Probably bigger," Naruto told Shikamaru as both approached the front door.

Naruto pulsed his chakra through a strange-looking door handle. It was a silver handle with a wave ripple effect. A 'CLICK' was heard and Naruto opened the door. Naruto walked inside and noticed that his friend wasn't with him. He turned around and saw Shikamaru inspecting the door handle.

"Shika, what's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, what did you do?" Shikamaru asked, he never took his eyes off the handle.

"Ah yeah, I never told you. Kotero-nii put seals on the door. It only works with some of our chakra flowed into it to unlock the door. It's to stop people robbing us," Naruto answered.

"Aren't you worried? What if some random person somehow used your or his chakra," Shikamaru asked.

"Don't worry, Kotero-nii put an active-awareness seal or something on it. It'll know if it's us or not. So, come on get inside," Naruto cried out.

Shikamaru complied and closed the door, entering the house. He saw the joint living-dining area and the kitchen in the back. ' _This place is massive,_ ' was all Shikamaru thought as he followed Naruto to the kitchen.

Naruto started the kettle and took out the tea set. Over the course of the month, Kotero made Naruto black tea every day, Naruto has taken a liken to the dark bitter liquid so he was going to make himself some. "Shika, you want some tea?" he asked.

"Yeah that'd be nice. Do you guys have a shogi board, it'll be good to play with you Naruto," Shikamaru asked his blonde friend, he only played his dad and he always lost. He wanted to introduce Naruto to it so he could at least win some of the games he played.

As Naruto finished making the tea, he went over to the coffee table and set the tray down. "I think Nii-chan said he had one in his study. Let's go up and see if we can find it," Naruto said excitedly, not really knowing what shogi really was but he was bored and he wanted to play the game with his friend.

The boys walked up the stairs and stopped on the second door on the left, Kotero's study. This was beside his bedroom, at the end of the corridor. Naruto opened the door and entered inside, Shikamaru trailing behind him.

What Shikamaru saw was a lot of books and scrolls, a whole damn library filled with them. There were shelves packed with books on all sorts of material. The nature of chakra, history of clans and the shinobi world, weapons theory and medical ninjutsu and much more. He looked to his left and saw a large wooden desk, ink brushes and many jars were on it beside a large open scroll with many strange markings and notes written in beautiful handwriting. He looked above the desk and saw a huge map of the Elemental nations, the minor countries and their main cities and towns. Even though this room was filled with stuff, it was very organised and neat.

Shikamaru looked at the scroll on the desk again, not understanding one bit of it. "Naruto, what's this?" he asked while pointing at the scroll. Naruto turned around with a large wooden box in his hands and walked over to Shikamaru.

"Oh, that's Kotero-nii's project, he's making a seal to do something with medical chakra. I don't get it at all ttebayo!" he said, not arrogant to not admit he doesn't know much about it.

Shikamaru was in the same boat as Naruto, he had no idea what any of it meant. "I'll ask Oyaji about seals and medical chakra when I get home. It seems interesting," Shikamaru said as he was looking at more of Kotero's work.

"This it Shikamaru?" Naruto asked holding the lovely wooden box.

Shikamaru just glanced at it and immediately knew it was a shogi box. "Yeah come on, I'll teach you some before we play a game," he said with a small grin.

The two boys went downstairs and set up the board. Shikamaru taught Naruto the rules quickly, not getting into advanced strategies. They drank their slightly cooled tea and played the game. Shikamaru had to play very casually as Naruto was a beginner and had yet to grasp all there is to Shogi. It was an hour until Shikamaru had enough. Shikamaru moved one piece, "checkmate," he said with a sly grin.

Naruto looked at the board, staring intensely for any possible. He huffed and puffed, "Ah! I was so bad dattebayo!" he yelled out as he ran off to the kitchen to get an anger snack. Shikamaru just laughed at his blonde friend and walked over with the two tea mugs and tray.

"You'll get better, when my Oyaji finds out Kotero has a shogi board, he's going to force him and you to come to my house so they can play. It's all too troublesome," Shikamaru droned out in his usual bored tone.

"You think so?" Naruto asked, he was never invited to anyone's house. He was wondering if they wouldn't invite him or Kotero because of the village's hatred for him.

"Definitely. He's going to find your brother as soon he comes back from his mission, I'm sure of it. Any way I should go home. Kaa-san will kill me, I'm already late!" he said with a hint of fright in his voice.

Naruto and Shikamaru went to the door and Naruto sent him off, saying they'll see each other at the academy. Shikamaru walked all the way home. ' _Crap, it's already night. I'm going to get murdered,_ ' he thought. He finally saw the Nara compound, walked to the front door.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. "I'm home," Shikamaru said, hoping he won't get pounded by a wooden spoon.

"Why are you home so late Shika?" Shikaku said gruffly, he was sitting on the floor behind a table.

"Naruto invited me to his house and I introduced him to Shogi," Shikamaru said as he sat across from his father.

A small grin appeared on the elder Nara's face. "Oh? And, how was he?" he asked.

"He was absolutely awful, but he never played before so it was his first time. It was fun though," Shikamaru answered.

"Did Naruto say Kotero played?" Shikaku asked with some vigour in his voice.

' _I knew it. Now he wants to play Naruto's brother. Jeez this is annoying,'_ Shikamaru thought.

"He didn't say he did. But with the board in his house, I'd say he knows how to play. And I wouldn't underestimate him. He was working on this medical chakra seal thing and it looked crazy weird," Shikamaru yawned out, he was tired of his fun day with Naruto.

Shikaku's eyebrows raised and his little grin grew a little bigger. "Hm, I want to play him now. Was he there?" he further asked.

"No, Naruto said he went on a mission and he won't be back for a few days supposedly," Shikamaru yawned out.

Shikaku pouted at this. He was the best shogi player in the village and the only real competition was his own son. He wanted a new shogi partner, to talk more about the village and other countries politics and share some of his sake with.

"I guess I have to wait then," he said sadly as he left the room, just when his wife entered the room and began to beat his son to a bloody pulp with a wooden spoon for being late. ' _Thank God I'm not him,'_ he chuckled to himself.

* * *

 **The Capital of The Land of Fire, Western District**

"So, he lied about training harder then. Huh, I was sure he had eyes of a determined man," Kotero said eating another piece of barbequed pork. "Shit I mean eye! I forgot about his mask."

"Well, that's not completely true, I think he trained hard for a week and then quit when the next issue of Icha-Icha came out. He'll avoid anything just to read it," Asuma said with a laugh.

"Oh don't even talk to me about that! I know those books quite well. I don't like that smut, but my late Kaa-chan was such a pervert. It was so embarrassing!" Kotero cried out quietly with his hands covering his face.

When Asuma heard this, he laughed so hard that he was slipping from his seat. He calmed down and poured another saucer of sake for the two of them and ate another piece of meat. Kotero took the saucer and downed it quickly. Sighing a breath of relief, he looked at the meal in front of him and ate more of the delicious meat.

"How long have we've been here?" Kotero asked, having lost track of time.

Asuma looked for a clock around the bar, it was hidden well. Then he saw it near the bar stand. "Eh, we came here at five, now it's eight. So, three hours," he said in a dazed stare, the alcohol was finally taking in effect.

"Cool, just wanted to know!" Kotero said in his normal form. Asuma was confused on what was happening, Kotero drank more than him and he wasn't drunk yet, and they drank quite a bit.

"Kotero, how're you not drunk yet?" Asuma asked.

"Asuma, don't worry! I'm tipsy right now. We Uzumaki need a lot of strong alcohol to get drunk. Sometimes I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse," Kotero said with a cheeky smile. "But I better cool it. Last time I drank, it didn't end well at all. Got sick everywhere."

Asuma laughed. He then suddenly quieted down. "Really? Anyway, I would call it a blessing in our line of work... There's some woman who keeps staring at your hair," Asuma said with squinted eyes.

Kotero turned his head around to see a woman with long white hair sitting on one of the bar stools. She gave him a wink and a smile before leaving.

"What a strange woman," Kotero said. "Is she a friend of yours Asuma?" Kotero asked.

Asuma shook his head. "No, never met her in a day in my life. Those eyes reminded me of your little brother's. Blue, but hers were darker. Hm... It's always the strange ones that are beautiful, isn't it? At least they make life interesting," he said.

Kotero laughed lightly. "I'd have to agree. Kaa-chan was beautiful, but if you knew what she was like, you would think she was crazy in the head. Ah, but that just makes me love her more though."

They both kept drinking and eating, chatting about everything and anything. They were acting as if they knew each other for years and both were having a great time. It was midnight and both men knew it was time for sleep. They quickly paid for their meal and helped each other back to their hotel room. They didn't bother taking off their shinobi gear as they both fell on their separate beds and blacked out. It was a good night. A very good night.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

"Oi Asuma, wake the fuck up, we have that meeting in an hour!" said an irritated Kotero. Asuma cracked open an eye to see a small scowl on Kotero, he knew he wasn't going to get a nice rest in the morning.

"What the fuck Kotero? Let me sleep," he hissed out, Asuma was now a very grumpy Sarutobi.

"Nah sorry can't do that mate. You need to scrub up for the Daimyō. No way in hell I'm going in there carrying your drunk ass!" Kotero yelled out. Kotero rubbed his temples as his headache that Asuma was giving him was making him cranky. "The shower is free, you smell awful. And here, take this pill, it should help with your hangover you pansy!" Kotero said as he handed over a pill and a glass of water. He then went out of the room leaving Asuma to clean himself up.

He went down to the hotel to get breakfast for him and Asuma, he ordered two hotel special breakfasts. After five minutes, Asuma came down looking fresher than the state he was in before and sat across Kotero. A few seconds later, their meals arrived and they dug in. Their breakfast wasn't anything amazing, it was a simple rice bowl, a small soup, some grilled fish and a bowl of fruit. Nothing special at all.

The two left and went over to the Daimyō's Palace. As they walked through the filled crowds, they noticed a lot of commotion going on in one of the streets. They both rushed over to see a crowd of men.

"Let's leave them, the city guards will handle them. We can't miss the meeting!" Asuma said, he saw Kotero was a bit hesitant to go so he patted him on the shoulder.

Kotero was a bit spooked by the shoulder grab, he was concentrating on the brawl and was just wondering what was going on. He nodded his head and the ninja pair headed towards the palace.

"I'm not a fan of the winter months. This place should be blooming with flowers," Kotero said with a hint of sadness. "The flowers and plants are probably one of my favourite things in the Capital."

Asuma chuckled. "It's November, what do you expect? There's no way any of the gardens would have those colourul summer flowers growing. Kotero, let's focus on the mission on hand," he said.

They arrived at the large palace complex that was owned by the Fire country's leader. Two royal samurai who were on guard duty noticed the ninja. "We've been expecting you guys. The meeting will be starting soon so please get to the council chambers," The guards hastily said.

The Konoha duo didn't need to be told twice and they entered the palace with haste. Another guard came and lead them to the chamber doors. He then left Asuma and Kotero to do their own business.

"I don't think I need to tell you but be on your best behaviour, this guy is a big part of our economy and we don't need anything screwing it up!" Asuma said sternly.

Kotero just nodded and decided that Asuma would do the talking. The doors suddenly opened and some nobles left the room in a hurry, looking rather steamed. ' _Wonder what that was about?_ ' both Asuma and Kotero thought. They then entered the room and saw the Daimyō and his officials behind their desks. Some of them, especially the Daimyō looked cross.

When the Daimyō saw the ninja enter, his face softened. Asuma used to be one of his ninja guardians so they knew each other well. And he came with a strong looking ninja with red hair. "Asuma-kun, it's great to see you again. I'm glad you're delivering the package today. And who's your partner here?" the Daimyō said formally and politely.

Asuma did a bow and stepped forward. "It's a pleasure as always Daimyō-sama. This is Chūnin Uzumaki Kotero, he's our up and coming ninja, I wouldn't be surprised if he became Jōnin the next time you two meet," Asuma said in his most formal tone, no cigarette to mess up his voice.

The Daimyō smiled at this and looked at Kotero. "It's nice to meet you, I see you must be skilled in swordsmanship with the two blades you have on your back!" he said with glee.

Kotero then stepped forward and did his own bow. "It's a true pleasure to make your acquittance Daimyō-sama. I thank you for your kind words, but I still have much to improve on in my kenjutsu," He told him.

The Daimyō was enjoying the conversation, the ninja of Konoha always gave his day a breath of fresh air. Then he remembered they were here for a special reason. "I take it you have Konoha's extensive finance report," he said in a neutral tone.

Asuma gave Kotero the storage scroll, and Kotero proceeded to bite his finger and spread blood across the seal. The finance report appeared in a puff of smoke and Asuma promptly grabbed it and gave it to the Daimyō's assistant.

The Konoha duo were about to say their departures, but the Daimyō raise his hand to stop them The leader of the country had other ideas. "Kotero-kun, I have a favour to ask of you," The Daimyō said.

"What is it you need Daimyō-sama?" Kotero asked, feeling his heartbeat increase slightly.

"Well, I am quite bored right now and I would love for you to have a spar with on of my top samurai, would you please accept this old man's request?" he asked in a sweet voice.

Kotero was shocked when he heard this, but didn't let it show. He really, really didn't want to have a spar now. "That decision will be up to my commanding officer, Asuma. You'll have to ask him Daimyō-sama," Kotero said. ' _Please save me Asuma!_ ' he was thinking repeatedly in his mind.

"Kotero have the spar, it's no problem," Asuma said with an evil smile.

' _Goddamnit Asuma_ _! I'm going to get you someday,'_ Kotero angrily yelled internally _._ "I'll be happy to oblige," he said with a shaky smile.

The Daimyō and his guards, Kotero and Asuma left the chambers and then entered the courtyard. Everyone apart from Kotero stood on the pavement while Kotero continued onto the dirt. A samurai in red armour appeared from the crowd and took his place across from Kotero. He then unsheathed his sword and took his stance. "It will be a pleasure to spar with you Uzumaki-san," the Samurai said.

Kotero unsheathed Rubí and took his clan's styles stance. "You as well Samurai-san, let's make this a good fight," Kotero said loudly as he stared down the armoured man.

Kotero rushed into the samurai's defence with blinding speed and swung his sword to slash the Samurai's arm. This was blocked easily by the red-armoured swordsman. ' _It isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be!_ ' he thought.

The Samurai then swung his sword to take Kotero's head off. Thanks to Kotero's speed, he ducked his head, and rolled to the right. As he was rising back up from the ground. He twirled on his left foot and slashed his sword towards the Samurai in a long arc. The Samurai had to block quickly or he would have a fatal wound. He stepped back and parried the incoming blade. Kotero was impressed with the reaction time, now he wanted to see how fast this Samurai really was. He retook his stance after he stepped a few metres from the Samurai and waited for the swordsman to make his move. His amethyst eyes staring intently at his opponent.

The Samurai grew impatient and initiated the attack. He swung his sword in a diagonal slash, Kotero easily dodged it and waited for his next attack, his sword ready if he can't dodge the incoming strikes. The Samurai swung his sword again, Kotero dodged the swing. The Samurai began to get irritated and he started to swing his sword faster and faster, making a bunch of silver blurs coming out of front of him. And even though he kept increasing his speed and the amount of sword swings he would make, he couldn't land one hit on Kotero.

Kotero was enjoying his morning workout a little too much and now he wanted to nib it in the bud. He and Asuma still had a mission to do. He suddenly blocked the Samurai's incoming swing with his sword and then proceeded to kick the samurai in the chest, making the samurai skid back a couple of metres. He then unsheathed Safaia, and closed the distance between him and the Samurai in a flash. He then sliced and diced the Samurai and ended up on the other side, across from the Samurai's back. He then immediately sheathed his swords and walked over to the crowd.

The Samurai's armour was completely taken apart and his clothes were ripping, small cuts appearing all over his body. He then collapsed onto the ground. Servants then took him on a stretcher and brought the poor unconscious man to the medical room. The other samurai guards and the Daimyō were shocked to the core, completely in awe of the skills of the redhead. Asuma was just like the rest. His Jōnin eyes allowed him to see the speed Kotero travelled at when he did his finishing move, even then all he was just a blur.

' _Tou-san said he was fast but this guy is like a red flash, he could compete with Gai with speed!_ ' Asuma thought.

The Samurai captain stood beside the Daimyō, his own eyes were widened. "How could a shinobi beat a samurai in a swordfight?" he murmured under his breath. "So, it's true. The Uzumaki were true swordsmen, ones to be feared across the world.

"Amazing skills Kotero-kun. I see that Asuma-kun wasn't exaggerating one bit!" the Daimyō said happily, he liked seeing skill and flair and this kid got it in buckets.

"Thank you Daimyō-sama, and don't worry about your samurai, the cuts aren't fatal and he should be back to normal after a night's rest, I hope!" Kotero said.

"Thank you for not maiming or killing him. I can see that if you wanted to, you could of easily. Now I believe you two have a second mission that I asked for to be taken care of. Please solve those pesky bandits, their causing disturbances to the city. And to help you out, one of my scouts told me they were close to Yakoi River. I would search there if I was you," The Daimyō said in his regal voice.

"Thank you Daimyō-sama," Asuma and Kotero said in unison.

The two ninjas then left the Daimyō's palace in companionable silence. Asuma then broke the silence as he had to talk about the fight. "You were so fast there, you were like a blur. How'd you get like that?" Asuma asked.

"Chakra weights and sprinting everywhere, now I'm using resistance weight seals," Kotero answered with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Why am I not surprised you're using seals to train. That's a genius idea!" Asuma said.

"The weights were getting impractical as if I went any heavier on them, I would sink into the ground so the seals make my body work harder, making it stronger and not affect the environment," Kotero explained.

"How heavy did you go before using seals?" Asuma asked.

"Honestly can't remember, it was impossible to do anything because I would have to constantly use chakra to react to the force I was exerting to the ground, and it wasn't even a good chakra control exercise there so I just sealed up the weights and started using seals," Kotero answered while looking at the Jōnin.

"Say after the mission, would you give me a lend the weights for training, just looking at you makes me want to improve!" Asuma asked.

"I don't know. Maybe!" Kotero said with a cheeky grin.

"Why do you think I can't handle it?" Asuma questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No! Of course not. Asuma those old chakra weights I used won't make you any faster or stronger," Kotero explained. "We would need to get a new set to do that."

"Fair enough," Asuma said as he puffed out some smoke from his newly lit cigerette.

The two made it back to the hotel. They went to heir room to pick up Asuma's stuff that he dropped off last night. Kotero waited by the door, waiting for Asuma to finish checking over his supplies. He was satisfied that he had everything he needed. He strapped the bag to himself and walked out of the room. Kotero followed until Asuma suddenly stopped when they left the Hotel. Asuma turned around to Kotero and looked at him. "All the information we have on our two targets is that they were sighted by Yakoi river. Do you have any ideas on where to find them?" Asuma asked Kotero.

Kotero thought for a second before snapping his fingers. "We'll just go into the forest, follow the river, find any clues if they're nearby and I'll using my sensing abilities to try and find them. The two brothers should have larger chakra pools than the other bandits and their signatures will have a similar feel to each other. What do you think?" Kotero asked his superior.

Asuma just nodded, "Doesn't matter, that's the best plan for now. We can always adapt to the situation when shit hits the fan. Now let's move out!" Asuma ordered out. The Konoha duo went out of the city, through the south exit, they entered the forest heading south west. They travelled for a good hour until they saw a large river flow by. "This must be the river the Daimyō was talking about. Let's look for any clues," Asuma said as he slowed down to a stop, just before the bank of the river.

They split up and looked all around them. Kotero jumped to the branches to get a better vantage point, he could always investigate better when looking in a near bird-eyes view. He saw nothing that would suggest that there was a group of bandits going through the area. A mile down the bank from where he split up from Asuma, he saw something shine on the other side of the river. Jumping off the tree, he landed silently on the grass and looked at the shine from the far side. The shine was coming off water droplets that were reflecting the sun. He looked into the clear waters of the slow meander river and saw divots of footprints in the residue and soil.

' _Must be from the bandits, they can't water walk,'_ Kotero deduced from what he saw in from of him.

Kotero jumped across the river to look at the other side of the bank, to get a closer look at the water droplets. He landed and walked over to the patch of wet grass. He crouched and peered at the ground. ' _Considering the water is still visible and hasn't evaporated yet, and the divots in the river, they should be close, probably an hours walk,'_ he thought.

Kotero stood up and went back to where he split from Asuma. He didn't need to travel far as Asuma was waiting for him. "I think I found them," Kotero said as he landed beside Asuma.

"Really, we should go and investigate it. There was nothing on my end of any human activity or anything around these parts, just animals," Asuma exclaimed.

Kotero nodded and lead Asuma to the patch of grass where he saw the divots and water droplets. "We should move in this line," Kotero moved his arm to the path straight through the wet grass, "and we should see them in less than half an hour. The water droplets are bunched together, so that suggests that they were walking," Kotero said, showing off his detective skills to Asuma.

"Good work Kotero. This is most likely going to turn into a messy battle. Are you prepared?" Asuma asked his young friend.

"I'm ready, don't you worry. But actually, I have a plan that will make both our lives much easier. All I need you to do is to support me when I call for you. Can you promise me that?" Kotero asked.

Asuma would normally say 'Hell no!' to something like that but since he watched Kotero's fight with the samurai that morning, he now knows first-hand the capabilities of the young ninja. He was going to take a bet. "Fine, but if something fucks up I'm jumping in whether you like it or not!" Asuma said with some steel in his voice.

Kotero nodded at this and led the two-man team. They didn't have to travel far as Kotero picked up chakra signatures of fifteen men. Two of them being Jōnin level. "I've found them" he said quietly while putting his hand up to stop Asuma's movement. "Asuma, there are fifteen of them. Two have chakra pools of what a Jōnin would have, I assume they are the Iwa brothers. I sense their chakras are further away than from the rest of the bandit camp. This will make it easier for me," Kotero stated out quietly.

Asuma just nodded his head and asked, "What do you want me to do?" knowing he has some part to play in Kotero's plan.

Kotero stood there silently, thinking over the steps needed to do the job as efficiently as possible, "I'm going into the treetops, you'll follow me until you see the camp. I need you to set these tags (Kotero handed Asuma strange looking exploding tags) around the camp. These are tags that'll explode with substances that distort eyesight and send poisonous fumes in the air. They'll die in thirty minutes if they don't get an antidote. It will also blow away their camp. Once you have them set up, you will head towards me. I'll wait until I can sense your chakra and then I'll just need you to support me when I signal you with your name!" Kotero said as he laid out his plans in words.

Asuma just nodded, agreeing with the plan. Kotero then jumped into the treetops and headed off to the two rouge Iwa nin. He made a shadow clone far enough from them just in case they sensed the spike in chakra. He was moving stealthy and silently, getting closer and closer to his targets. He was thankful the bandit camp was situated in a deep forest, it provided great cover for him. Finally, he saw the two brothers relaxing, sitting on a large boulder talking about prostitutes and getting some drugs for a "fun night!"

Kotero was waiting for his partner in crime. He looked over the surroundings and couldn't believe the two Iwa nin were just relaxing here, ' _They must of set traps nearby and are confident in their skills. And staying further away from the camp either means that they needed to discuss something important or they think that are better than the non-ninja bandits!_ ' Kotero thought.

He sensed Asuma's chakra signature approaching. Kotero then silently moved his position so he was above the two brothers. They still haven't noticed the redhead above them. He had his shadow clone ready with some kunai away from him, in case he needs a distraction to escape.

Kotero jumped toward the brother sitting on the boulder to the left, using chakra to enhance his speed for his descent. The rouge nin didn't react fast enough as Kotero used his hidden blade and stabbed it through his targets neck and throat. He quickly pulls it out and ejects the blade from its mechanism by pulling a pin holding the blade to his wrist bracer. With his ejected hidden blade in hand, he swiftly flicked it towards the other brother with wind chakra flowing through it, making it fly faster through the air. The blade flew the short distance and pierced the man's throat, the blade flew through the muscle tissue, cutting up his veins and arteries as if they were wet tissue paper. The blade didn't stop until it hit the ground, leaving a large mark.

Kotero quickly retrieved his blade and cleaned it off by making his chakra turn into water and letting it flow onto the blade, taking the blood with it. He dried it off his Chūnin jacket and looked at the corpses behind. Kotero sees Asuma inspecting the bodies and his kills.

"Sorry I took all the fun, I swear to God I thought the second guy would dodge and you would come in and finish him off," Kotero said out quietly, only letting Asuma hear his words.

"It was very an anti-climactic fight, but they were good kills I have to admit. The information in the bingo books say that they were ninjutsu users. They must have let their other skills become rusty if you only needed a second to kill them off," Asuma said in a bored tone, not happy he didn't get any action.

Kotero only nodded, it was the only conclusion of why these two B-ranked nin were so easy to kill. ' _If they were clones waiting for an ambush, then I would understand why they were so easy to eliminate. But the large chakra signatures are gone and elemental clones dissipate if they're a long distance from the creator! These guys were either idiots with no sense of their surroundings or I'm good at this sort of thing!'_ Kotero thought with a small grin.

"Are we going to seal the bodies as whole or we just going to get the heads?" Kotero asked Asuma, having never done this before.

"We aren't hunter-nin so we just need to bag-and-tag them. You can do the job, you're clearly much better at it," Asuma said as he took out a new cigarette and started smoking it.

Kotero set up two body storage seals in a new scroll and placed their bodies on the seals. He then formed the Ram hand seal and pulsed his chakra. The bodies disappeared into the seals with small puffs of smoke coming out.

Kotero then wrapped up the seal and tossed it to Asuma. "What did the bandit camp look like?" Kotero asked, the camp was the last objective of their double B-rank mission.

"It's organised, there are thirteen men there, like you sensed, at the main tent where the brothers slept, there wasn't much money, treasure, jutsu scrolls or anything. I'd say these guys made their name from attacking weak towns with their ninjutsu and didn't take much from the towns they attacked," Asuma concluded, while scratching his beard.

Kotero then scratched his chin, "So we can just blow it up?" he proposed, he wanted to finish the job.

Asuma stood there, staring at Kotero, then a small shine coursed through his eyes he smiled evilly, "Yeah let's do it and get out of here!" he excitedly said.

Kotero nodded his head with vigour and formed the ram hand seal, "Kai!" Kotero said out loud. An instant later, explosions were heard south of their position where the camp was residing. Screams and chokes were heard, some small trees collapsed because of the weakened and cracked ground.

Waiting a minute for the poison to dissipate into the air, Asuma and Kotero walked towards the camp, to make sure no stragglers survived. They reached the camp after walking for a minute and saw it was completely destroyed. The bodies of some of the bandits lost limbs and blood was squirting out of the arteries, mini blood fountains. The men who had none of their limbs blown off were coughing hoarsely and their skin colour was paling quickly, turning into a deathly white. There was one man who had his half corpse blown off, leaving the charred mush that was once his body in the centre of the destroyed camp.

Asuma and Kotero gave the men that survived the unexpected attack mercy by ending their lives so the poison would stop hurting them, the poison was eradicating their central nervous system. They then piled their bodies together into the centre of the camp.

Asuma flashed through the hand seals Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. _' **Fire release: Fireball,** '_ he thought as a large fire ball came out of Asuma's mouth and enveloped the corpses of the fallen bandits. Asuma and Kotero waited until the fires died down, so only the ashes remained. Kotero then blasted some of his wind chakra from his hand, the ash pile was moved into the air where it mixed with the cinders of the burnt bodies. The area was stained in blood and reeked of crisped up remains. "Let's get out of here, there's nothing left for us," Asuma ordered.

He and Kotero began their run back to Konoha. The day was still young, Kotero knew they'd be home before midnight. ' _Only two days to do two B-rank missions. I hope it's like this for all my missions!'_ Kotero jovially thought as he and Asuma took to the trees for their long run home.

* * *

 **Towards Konoha**

"Are all missions like that Asuma?" Kotero asked, as he was healing Asuma's twisted ankle after he stepped on it wrong.

"They vary, D-rank missions are easy missions, more like chores. They are always inside the village. C-rank missions are more difficult, they consist of escort missions of people looking for protection from bandits or delivering documents to towns, cities or hidden villages. They can also include clearing out small bandit camps," Asuma said while he takes a drag out of his cigarette and puffs out the smoke. "Let's walk to Konoha for now, we're close!" he then said after Kotero fixed up his ankle.

"Now, where was I? Oh yeah! Now B-rank missions are like the one we just did, and they include more intense missions, and usually we would get this sort of job from allied countries. Then there are A-rank missions, these ones are dangerous and are only taken by Jōnin or veteran Chūnin. You would expect these missions to conflict with the interests of other Elemental nations or the client would be a rich noble or businessman. These missions really affect Konoha's image as a strong hidden village so the Hokage only picks the experienced for this. Although I wouldn't be surprised if your next mission is an A-rank Kotero," Asuma said.

"Oh? Why is that?" Kotero asked.

"Well Tou-san already trusts you a lot, I do too. And after the report we give, he'll be tempted to put you in a squad doing an A-rank mission. I'm not lying, you're one of the best ninja I know, and this is your first mission outing. I'm not trying to give you a big head but you're fast, calm, skilled and you had a great plan for those Iwa brothers and their camp. You made my life much easier. I can't think of many ninja who could've done as good as job as you," Asuma complimented his redhaired friend.

Kotero kept his face blank and nodded along to Asuma's words, but internally he was blushing madly. ' _It feels great getting complimented by one of the elites in Konoha!'_ he cried happily internally. "Thank you Asuma, those kind words mean a lot," Kotero admitted.

"No problem. Once you become a Jōnin, and I don't think you'll have to wait long, Tou-san will probably put you through S-rank missions!" Asuma said with a smirk.

"S-rank!? What are they like? What the hell does the S stand for, Special?" Kotero asked, clueless to the fact.

"Suicide!" Asuma chuckled out.

Kotero paled at this, that sounded awful. "Does Hokage-sama want to get me killed? I thought the bastard liked me!" Kotero sombrely said, his head was gloomily hanging down off his neck.

Asuma laughed and slapped the back of Kotero. "Lighten up, it just means he trusts you and believes you have the skill set to accomplish these missions. Although there is a high risk of death, only the elite are even allowed to do them. You would be considered the top of the food chain if you did them!" Asuma said, trying to cheer Kotero up.

Kotero put his head up high and looked straight ahead, "I don't want to be the best just because of rank or fame or even money. I want to improve myself so that I can protect my little brotherand my friends," Kotero said, certainty running through his voice.

Asuma raised an eyebrow, "Little brother? You mean Naruto?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's my little ball of sunshine," Kotero said with a happy smile. "After my Kaa-chan's death, I was torn apart emotionally but I steeled myself to go to Konoha and try find family. Even though I was happy seeing him at the start. I was still heart broken and depressed, I broke down real bad one day and he saved me. Then he broke down with me and we spent the day crying and comforting each other. We both really needed it!" Kotero said wiping a small tear from his left eye.

Asuma smiled at this, he knew that Naruto had no family for nearly all his life and the feeling of losing a family member was one of the worst pains to have, having lost his mother and brother, he knows it all too well. "I'm glad you found each other. Like you said, you both need it. I also heard from Ibiki-san that you had a drunken episode before you came here. Don't worry, only a bare handful know that. If it happens again, I'll help you out. But let's talk about something else... I've seen Naruto's academy reports, they're awful. Are you helping him train?" Asuma asked, he was interested what the prankster king would become in the future.

Kotero sighed and rubbed his face. He didn't like the fact that now more than three people know of his drunk actions at the town of Gero Onsen. He had to put it behind him now.

"Well I'll tell you now, before I came he was awful, now after a month, in skills I would say he would be one of the best in his class. The academy's way of teaching didn't suit Naruto. My training to him was brutal but he improved steadily. But sure, it was easy for him to catch up to the others. They're only ten, some are eleven. However, I told him to keep his skills hidden and be tight-lipped about it!" Kotero said to the smoker.

Asuma was puzzled by this. "Why would you make him do that? Wouldn't you want him to be rookie of the year?" he asked.

"No! Never, it's just a title. It won't mean shit when Naruto becomes the first Chūnin in his class. Him becoming Rookie of the year will gather unnecessary attention to him, and he doesn't need anymore. Also, when he's fighting his enemies, they'll underestimate him. I've noticed it recently, everyone talks too much. Ninjas are supposed to be spies and killers not chat-up artists!" Kotero ranted, moving his arms around in a frustrated gesture.

Asuma could only keep his mouth shut as everything that was said was true. The duo kept walking and they chatted about other things, getting to know each other's likes, dislikes, hobbies and other things. At some points during the conversation, Asuma would headlock Kotero and give him a nuggie. Kotero would then shove Asuma off and try to tickle him. This lead to a slapping match and other stupid games and antics. They were quickly becoming great friends.

This stopped when they saw the gates and walls of Konoha, they walked as professionals from there on out. They then walked over to the guard shelter, both sighing a breath of relief when they entered the shade. They saw Izumo and Kotestu playing cards. "Reporting return for Jōnin Sarutobi Asuma and Chūnin Uzumaki Kotero from dual B-rank mission," Asuma announced to the two guards.

"Oi it's Asuma and Kotero! What's up man?" Izumo asked with a fist stretched out for Kotero to bump it.

"All good Izumo, hope you're beating Kotestu-chan!" Kotero said in a cheeky smile as he bumped fists with Izumo.

Kotestu frowned at this, "Oi! Not cool man, I thought we were friends!" he said in a fake sad tone, pouting with his act.

"Calm your tits Kotestu! I am your friend," Kotero laughed as he poked Kotestu's shoulder.

Asuma signed his name and then forced Kotero to sign his name by grabbing his shoulder and putting him on the sign-up sheet. "Jeez Asuma, I didn't know you liked it rough," Kotero said with a grin as Asuma's face turned bright red. The two guards barked out laughing and were holding their stomachs. Asuma couldn't take it anymore and started pulling on Kotero's ear and bringing him towards the Hokage tower to report.

"Ah Asuma, seriously knock it off!" Kotero all but yelled at Asuma.

Asuma tugged a little harder before letting go, "There! That's your punishment for joking about your superior officer. Next time I won't be so nice!" Asuma said in a pseudo-threatening manner.

Kotero kept silent but in his head, he was laughing his ass off, ' _Sex related jokes gets this man so embarrassed, can't wait to do it in front of the other Jōnin!'_ Kotero giggled internally. They kept walking through the village and finally reached the Hokage office. They entered inside and gave a quick wave to the secretary, they climbed the stairs to the top floor and walked down the long corridor. They saw the Hokage office door. Asuma gave it two hard knocks. "Enter," was all the two heard.

Asuma opened the door to see his father doing the paperwork. "Reporting for mission's success, Tou-san," Asuma said in his professional tone, while smoking a new cigarette. Kotero walked in and gave a nod to the old man.

Hiruzen looked up from his desk and saw his son and his favourite redhead. "Asuma, Kotero, hope the Daimyō and the bandit problem wasn't too bad," he said with a smile.

Kotero shook his head. "Nope!" he said out loud.

Asuma and Hiruzen chuckled. "So, will you two give me a mission report. I need a break and I want to know about your mission debut Kotero," Hiruzen asked excitedly.

Asuma sighed and got himself comfortable on a chair, while Kotero walked over to a wall to lean on.

Asuma got the ball rolling. "After we left Konoha, Kotero sealed the finance report into a storage seal that would only react to our blood and chakra. Then we left towards the capital and avoided all potential dangers. We arrived early and booked ourselves a hotel. The next day we had our meeting with the Daimyō and he was happy to see us as some rather pissed off nobles or something left before we entered. The Daimyō seemed to take an interest in Kotero because of his swords and asked if he could spar with one of his top samurai," Asuma reported, his hand gestures added to the act.

Hiruzen was taking it all in, liking the point about the seal, it seemed that his point of it being a very important mission got through his newest Chūnin. "What did you say Kotero?" he asked.

Kotero scoffed and looked away from the two. "I said that it was Asuma's decision as he was my superior officer," he said with a bit of a hiss.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow and then looked at his son, who had a huge smile planted on his face. "What happened?" he asked, no threat hidden in his voice, just curiosity.

"I told him it was alright to fight him. I didn't want to upset the Daimyō and I wanted to see him fight with his swords. I heard from Hayate that he was insanely good so I had to see it for myself," Asuma replied honestly.

"So how did that fight go?" the Hokage asked, while taking out his pipe and stuffing it with his favourite cinnamon tobacco. He used fire chakra from a click of his fingers to light it. He looked back at Asuma, waiting for the story.

"The samurai and Kotero started and the samurai was impressive, he was blocking Kotero's strikes from the start of the fight, but then Kotero did this one attack and the samurai blocked him again with greater speed he showed in the spar before. Then Kotero moved back and went on the defensive. The samurai then just attacked relentlessly, going faster and faster until he couldn't go any quicker. Kotero was dodging and blocking them all and then Kotero pulled out his other sword and then in a blur, he appeared on the other side of the samurai and put away his swords and walked towards me and the Daimyō. The samurai's armour just fell apart and his clothes were cut all over the place. It was one of the coolest things I've seen in a while!" Asuma explained the fight excitingly.

Hiruzen was just as engrossed. "It sounds similar to your fight with Hayate, doesn't it Kotero?" he said with a small grin.

Kotero just nodded, "It's just a finishing move, I just wanted to tire him out and analyse his fighting pattern. Really the samurai made my life easier by being too predictable," he said while crossing his arms looking at his leader.

"What matters is that you won! Now tell me about those Iwa ninja causing trouble," Hiruzen said.

"Well, I'm not going to lie, they were easier than what they were made out to be," Asuma said.

The Hokage was surprised by this "They were supposed to be an A-level threat. What happened out there to say they were easier than you thought they would be?" he asked, his interest in this mission increased.

Asuma chuckled before looking and pointing his finger at Kotero, "He did!" was all he said.

Hiruzen then stared at Kotero, waiting for the answer. "Fine I'll talk!" Kotero said while moving closer to the Hokage's desk, pulling a chair and sitting down similar to Asuma. He then unsealed a water bottle and began drinking it. Once he quenched his thirst, he looked at the Hokage.

"The Daimyō gave us information from his scout that the bandits were sighted near Yakoi river. We went to investigate. We then split up and I found water droplets on the other bank and divots in the river. I went back to grab Asuma and we went on to find the camp. I used my sensing and we found our targets along with thirteen non-ninja bandits. I devised a plan for us to follow. I gave Asuma special poisonous explosive tags that I prototyped and let him set them up around the camp while I go to where the two brothers were. They split themselves up from the camp and were talking in private about what they were going to do with the money they steal. I waited for Asuma to come back to initiate the next part of the plan.

I was supposed to neutralise the first brother, distract the second, making him jump away and let Asuma get the jump on him. What actually happened, was that I did indeed neutralised the first brother, but when I threw my hidden blade at the second brother, he did nothing and the blade went through his throat, killing him instantly! I then sealed the bodies. Asuma informed me that there was nothing of value in the camp, so we blew it up, gathered the dead, cremated them and went on our way back home! That's the full verbal report," Kotero said, taking another gulp of his water.

The Hokage interlaced his fingers and brought them to hide his grin. He leaned back into his chair and looked at Asuma. "Asuma, is all he said true?" he asked, he doubted Kotero would lie or exaggerate but he needed a second opinion.

Asuma smirked and took another whiff of his cigarette. He blew out the smoke that was filling the room's air. "All of it! Kotero was a total professional. Cool, calm-minded and efficient," Asuma said while patting Kotero's back.

The Hokage was happy seeing that his son and Kotero already had a strong bond. "Good work! I already told you two how important these missions were and you performed them better than expected! Your mission pay will be transferred to your bank accounts by this evening. I'm proud of you both, especially you Kotero. I have to tell the truth that I was expecting you to have a rough time with missions and working with someone else but this old man shouldn't have worried at all," The Hokage explained.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity Hokage-sama, I'll always be in your debt for your kindness!" Kotero replied with true gratitude.

"Nonsense, I should be thanking you. The hospital has been praising me since you came! I actually got you a gift for your hard work there," the aged leader said.

Kotero was surprised that the Hokage got him a gift. The Hokage took a huge crate filled with scrolls and gave it to Kotero. It was bigger than his lap and the height of the crate reached his chest. "These are some of the notes and Jutsu that my sensei, Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage wrote and possessed. There hasn't been a good water element user since him and I believe he would want his legacy to be lived on. So, I'm trusting you with these and hope you have success. Maybe you'll be the second coming of sensei when it comes to water jutsu," the Hokage said in a grandfatherly tone.

Kotero was truly in awe of what was in front of him. "T-t-thank you Hokage-sama, I'll do you and Tobirama-sama proud!" he stuttered out in determination in his voice.

The Hokage smiled and turned his head to his son, "Konohamaru-kun has been missing you Asuma, he wants me to ask you if we all could have dinner tomorrow night, can you come?" Hiruzen asked, he was hoping his improving relationship with his son will allow him to eat with his whole family once again.

In the past, Asuma would've declined and used the excuse of being too busy, but now he wanted to spend time with his family. "Yeah sure, I'll be there!" he said with a smile.

"If you don't mind Hokage-sama, Asuma. I want to check up on Naruto. I'm sure he's missed me, even though it's only been two days," Kotero said with a bit of anxiousness in his voice. ' _What if he burnt the house down while I was gone!'_ he internally screamed, and thinking of other similar scenarios.

"Of course, go Kotero. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you!" the Hokage said happily

Asuma turned around, "See you later man!" he said with his hand stretched out.

Kotero slapped his hand, "Yeah see ya later Asuma!" Kotero said as he then left the room and went back home.

"I love that kid!" Asuma said with a smile on his face.

"Kid!? He's only seven years younger than you!" the Hokage laughed out.

"So what? He's still a kid, a great kid. Shit! Look at the time. See you later Tou-san, I need some food!" Asuma exclaimed as he left the room.

"Yeah I love that kid as well. Ah back to paperwork," the aged leader said sadly to himself as he got back to work.

* * *

 **West Sector of Konoha**

Kotero was walking home, his crate full of valuable water element ninjutsu in hand. ' _How lucky am I! Senju Tobirama's notes on water element ninjutsu. I need to work on this as soon as I can!'_ Kotero happily thought.

He was walking for ten minutes until he saw the lights that were coming out of his sun was setting when he and Asuma entered Konoha, now it is night time. The sky was black with bright stars shining. He walks up to his house door and puts the crate in one hand. He flowed his chakra onto the handle. 'CLICK' was heard and Kotero opened the door to go inside. He walked into the living room and see Naruto and Shikamaru playing Shogi on the floor.

"Oh, Naruto. I didn't know you liked shogi?" Kotero said with a smile, happy to see his little brother.

Both boys looked at the redhead, surprised to see him. "Nii-chan. When did you get back?" Naruto asked from his position.

"An hour ago, had to report to Hokage-Jiji. Now, let me put this in my study and I'll tell you my mission if you want!" he said gleefully as he went upstairs to his study. He entered his study and placed the crate beside his desk. Satisfied, he went back downstairs to see Naruto and Shikamaru sitting on the couch waiting for him. "What happened to the game?" he asked, he only left them for sixty seconds.

Naruto pouted, "Shika wanted to hear the story as well so he ended it in his turn," Naruto said glumly.

Kotero chuckled at this, "You make it sound like he beats you every time!" he said.

"I do!" Shikamaru said, joining in the conservation for the first time.

Kotero chuckled even more, and then sat in one of the bachelor chairs, running his hand through his red hair. "So, I think I'll start from the beginning! I met my partner Asuma at the Hokage tower and…" Kotero continued the story with the Daimyō and the samurai, then the investigation to find the camp, eliminating his two targets and destroying the bandit camp. He described the events that happened in vivid detail. Throughout the story, Naruto and Shikamaru's eyes were glued to Kotero, hearing the coolest story they've ever heard.

"Holy crap! You're awesome Nii-chan!" Naruto said energetically as he jumped off his seat and his fists started shaking.

"Thanks Naruto! And what did you think Shikamaru?" Kotero asked.

"Much better than from what we hear from the academy," Shikamaru stated.

Kotero just smiled at this. "Though now I'm starving, I'm just going to get a quick bite," he told them. He left the two boys to chat for themselves and went into the kitchen, he grabbed a scroll from the top shelf. He laid it on the out counter and three trays of sushi appeared. "Thank God I stored this food," he happily cheered out. He proceeded to stuff his face with the delicacy and in an instant, it was all gone.

"Oh, it's time I went home. Thanks for having me over Naruto!" Shikamaru said. Then he turned to Kotero "Kotero. Oyaji wanted to talk to you," he said louder.

Kotero raised his eyebrow, "Really? Well I'll walk you home then and I can have a quick chat with him," Kotero said. He walked to the door and unstrapped his swords and various pouches, forgetting to take them off after his mission, he placed them on the hall table.

The Nara heir and Kotero left the front door and started walking to the Nara compound. Kotero was asking questions about Nara life and Shikamaru's experience with the academy. He gathered that he and Naruto have similar opinions to one another when it comes to their fellow students, instead of calling them names like Naruto does, Shikamaru just says that they're "too troublesome".

Kotero was laughing at Shikamaru's catchphrase. It was just like Naruto's "Dattebayo"!

They finally reached the Nara compound and Shikamaru went up to the front door and knocked on it. Kotero was just standing right behind him. The door slid open with speed and an angry looking mother was in front of both. Shikamaru paled at seeing his angry mother, Kotero grew a small smile, he knew he wasn't in trouble but his heartbeat rate did increase, being in this position before, ' _Everyone's Mother is scary!'_ he thought.

"NARA SHIKAMARU! DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!?" the angry mother shouted out fiercely.

Shikamaru couldn't get one word out but then he was saved by a redhaired angel. "Please forgive Shikamaru for his tardiness, it was my fault that he was late. He was spending time with my little brother Naruto and I insisted he got some food into his system before he left!" Kotero said in his polite voice.

The angry mother's face softened dramatically when she saw Kotero and heard his words. Then a smile beamed on her face. "Ah don't worry about it Kotero-kun. I heard all about you from Shika-chan and Shikaku. Thank you for caring for my son!" she said sweetly.

"Wait... you know who I am?" Kotero asked. ' _It seems like everyone in this damn village loves to gossip about me!'_ he thought.

"Of course handsome!" Shikamaru's mother said. She then leads her son and Kotero into the main room and insisted for them to sit. "I didn't introduce myself, did I? Any way I'm Nara Yoshino!" she said with a happy smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Yoshino-san!" Kotero said as he looked around the house.

"I'm going to get my husband. He wanted to talk to you since the council meeting about you," Yoshino said as she left the two in the room.

Kotero and Shikamaru sat behind the table in the room. "Your mother is a lovely lady," Kotero said in a neutral tone, not even looking at Shikamaru.

"Yeah I know, but she's the most troublesome woman I know," Shikamaru droned out as he rubbed his forehead.

"Who are the others?" Kotero asked, already having an idea of who Shikamaru is referring to.

"Ino and Sakura. Ino more so since our clans are tight, we knew each other since we were toddlers. She's the loudest gossiper and the whole 'Sasuke-kun' thing is just... troublesome," Shikamaru said as he looked at Kotero.

Kotero looked at Shikamaru, "What about Sakura?" he asked, not liking the girl for the way she treats Naruto.

Shikamaru stayed silent for a second before replying, "Her rivalry with Ino for Sasuke's attention is annoying. She is very loud, but more screechy than loud if I must say. And I never liked the way she treats the boys in our class with her fists," Shikamaru answered.

"Troublesome," Kotero said, getting a raised eyebrow and a small grin from the Nara Heir. Yoshino and Shikaku made their appearance and both sat down in front of Shikamaru and Kotero.

Shikaku saw red hair and smiled, he finally gets to meet the mysterious Uzumaki. "Uzumaki Kotero. I'm happy I get to meet you, and thank you for taking care of my son," Shikaku said with a grin.

"It's no bother Shikaku-san, any friend of Naruto is a friend of mine. When he's in my house, I'll make sure he's taken care of!" Kotero said cheerfully.

The parents could only smile at this. Shikaku spoke up, "I heard from my son that you were on a mission, how was it?" he asked.

"Well to be honest, it went a lot smoother than I thought it would've went. I met the Daimyō and cleared two names in the bingo book in the same day so I can't complain," Kotero said in a nonchalant tone.

Eyebrows were raised on both the Nara. "The Daimyō? I hope nothing bad happened for your sake!" Yoshino said with a hint of concern in her voice.

"No! Nothing bad happened, however he wanted me to spar with his top samurai. I didn't want to but ya can't refuse the Daimyō so, I sparred the man and beat him," Kotero said as if he didn't care at all for the achievement.

"You must be very skilled in kenjutsu, just like Hokage-sama said in the meeting," Shikaku said.

"Yeah well, I have worked on it for over a decade so I would like to think I'm good. Now I need to improve my other areas. Can't be getting stale now can I hehe!" Kotero chuckled out.

Shikaku couldn't hold it in anymore, "Kotero-san, do you play shogi?" he asked with a small glint of shine in his eyes.

' _Oh, here he goes!'_ both Shikamaru and Yoshino thought at the same time.

"I do play, but haven't in a few months so I would be rusty. Why, you looking for a game?" Kotero asked, not knowing what he is getting himself into.

"I'm the best in the village and I'm hoping that you would give me a challenge. Shikamaru here is the only competition I have and Yoshino-chan refuses to play with me," Shikaku gruffly said, with a small bit of sadness.

"Fine I'm game. But not tonight, I need to do some work and get some shut-eye!" Kotero exclaimed to the Nara family.

"Of course, why don't you come down tomorrow. Shikamaru and Naruto can herd the deer together, we can play our game and Yoshino-chan can make us all dinner!" he said excitedly, to him it sounded like the perfect plan.

Yoshino's forehead got several tic marks, being forced to cook for five the next day, she will have to beat her husband later though, she didn't want to give a bad impression to her guest Kotero.

"That sounds wonderful! I can't wait to taste your cooking Yoshino-san. If you don't mind, I think I overstayed my welcome. Thank you for having me over," He said with a head nod to the Nara family.

"Don't talk nonsense Kotero! As far as I can see, you'll always be welcome here!" Yoshino declared with a caring but angry tone.

' _I don't know if I should be scared or feel safe when I'm near her!'_ Kotero thought worriedly, now understanding Shikamaru's burden. "Thank you Yoshino-san. We'll come around four o'clock if that suits. Naruto can't slack off his training!" Kotero said with an evil smile.

Kotero went for the front door and opened it, then he left the house, leaving promptly out of the Nara Compound. He took is time when walking through the village, still not used to staying at Konoha yet. He takes to the rooftops and starts to dash towards home. He finally made it and his tiredness caught up with him.

"Guess I can skip work tonight and just go straight to bed," he said sadly. Kotero opened the door and went to find Naruto, to tell him about the dinner plans with the Nara's. "Naruto?" he shouted out.

"In my room!" Naruto shouted from upstairs. Kotero heard and started to climb up the stairs he opened Naruto's bedroom door and just made his head known. "We have dinner with the Nara's tomorrow after training. I want you to wear the black and orange haori I got you. I'll be wearing my red one. We have to look handsome as hell tomorrow! That's all. Good night Naruto," Kotero yawned out.

"Good night Nii-chan!" Naruto yawned himself, he himself was getting ready for bed.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

"So, Naruto how was your training while I was gone?" Kotero asked Naruto as they walked out to the training grounds behind their house.

"I got the leaves to go counter-clockwise finally!" Naruto proudly exclaimed.

"That's great, you'll have to show me and then we'll do the next chakra control exercise," Kotero said with pride.

They got to the middle of the grounds and did their stretches. "Naruto put on your game-face now. We're going to go to level two of training!" Kotero ordered.

"Level two! Alright, I'm ready for it," Naruto said with confidence.

"Good! That's what we want. Now you know the drill. Twenty laps around. Then 100 push-ups, squats, jumping jacks and sit-ups. Then twenty pull-ups and chin-ups. **NOW GET TO IT!** " Kotero barked out his orders.

Naruto nodded and ran around the perimeter immediately. Then he went through his push-ups, squats and other exercises with good form. He was struggling as he slowed down a he further progressed into the exercises but he didn't stop, he just took his time. Finally, he finished the last of his chin-ups. He fell to the ground, Naruto was breathing heavy and sweat was dripping off his whole naked upper body.

Kotero brought over an ice-cold water bottle and an energy protein bar. "You didn't fuck up once. Well done! Now, since we have dinner in… an hour and a bit. We can only introduce the chakra control exercise and do about forty-five minutes of it," Kotero said as he started walking towards the small forest that was in their property.

"What're we doing out here?" Naruto asked.

"You going to climb the trees with only your feet!" Kotero said with a smile.

"With only my feet!? How can I do that… Oh with chakra hehe," Naruto said while scratching the back of his head.

"It follows the same principle as the leaf exercise, you going to use your chakra to create a suction effect on your feet and you'll use that effect to climb the trees. Now, watch me!" Kotero said.

Kotero flowed chakra to his feet and then walked up to the tree, he put his foot onto the bark, and then his other, he began walking vertically. "We'll go do water walking after this exercise, once you are able to stay on the trees for two hours straight, and we have an upside-down spar on the trees. You may think it's insane to do that much work. But it'll help control your insane chakra reserves and give you an advantage while fighting enemies with lots of walls or trees around you. But for now, let's try and get you at least walking on the tree," Kotero ordered.

Naruto breathed in and out deeply. He put his hands in the ram sign and flowed chakra to his feet. He took his first step on the tree, the bark then blasted off the tree, Naruto was surprised at what he just did. "I didn't mean to do that, I swear!" he cried out.

Kotero just sighed, "Don't worry Naruto. It's just training. You used too much chakra there. Next time try use less. And maybe get a running start. That'll help you out," Kotero gave his advice with a friendly pat on the back.

Naruto just nodded and got back up. He repeated with the ram sign and flowed chakra to his feet. He then ran to the tree and started to climb it about seven feet up its thirty and then his left foot slipped off because of lack of chakra. Naruto did a backflip and landed on his feet. "That was better!" he shouted with enthusiasm.

Kotero nodded with a small grin. He then threw a kunai at Naruto's feet. "Use the kunai to mark your progress." He then threw one of kunai halfway up the tree. "If you get there before we go to the Nara's. I'll buy you five ramen bowls from Ichiraku. Now get back at it!" Kotero ordered Naruto.

For the next forty minutes, Naruto was doing amazingly well for someone who had no control of his chakra a month ago. Just as time was up, Naruto's kunai was stuck at around fourteen feet. "That's not fair, I was so close!" Naruto mumbled. He then sat on his bum and brought his knees to his chest. "I worked so hard but I get no ramen. Life can be so cruel" Naruto murmured out.

"Naruto! Quit bitching about your ramen and get cleaned up. We have to go in half an hour," Kotero said with an angry scowl on his face. Naruto saw his big brother and sprinted inside to have a shower and get dressed. When Naruto was gone, Kotero puffed into smoke, revealing he was just a shadow clone. The real Kotero was having a bath in his bedroom's bathroom. Learning of the memories, he smiled deeply, his little brother actually did well for less than an hour at the exercise. It seemed his advanced leaf exercise really helped out Naruto's chakra control.

After ten minutes, Kotero got out of the bath and dried himself up. He then went over to his clothes he was going to wear for their meal. He put on his normal shinobi boots and pants. He then wears a black shirt and then puts his red and black haori on. He checks himself out in the mirror. ' _Damn! So sexy!'_ he thought while doing silly poses and faces.

He then leaves the bathroom then his room. He sees Naruto exit his bedroom, wearing a similar outfit but instead of wearing his black jacket and white t-shirt, he wore a similar black shirt and an identical haori but instead of red, it was orange. "Looking good Naruto!" Kotero admitted as he looked at the blonde's outfit.

"Wow, Nii-chan, you look good too dattebayo!" Naruto said in a gleeful smile. Kotero then ruffled Naruto's hair. Naruto fumed at this and tried to fix it. After he fixed up his already messy hair, Naruto and his big brother went downstairs and left through the front door. Naruto walked a few steps ahead until he noticed Kotero wasn't following him. He was staring off in the distance. "What's wrong Kotero-nii?" Naruto asked.

Kotero said nothing and walked over to Naruto, he then tightly grabbed Naruto's shoulder and then body flickered them until they reached the Nara compound. Naruto was amazed they covered such a distance in such a short time. "You have to teach me that ttebayo," Naruto demanded,

Kotero just chuckled at his little brother love for ninjutsu and anything related to it. "I will soon, don't worry. We have to work on "you" before you learn new jutsu. Come on, we don't want Yoshino-san to bite our heads off!" Kotero said while hastily walking to the Nara's front door.

Kotero then lightly knocked on the door three times and then waited. The door opened and revealed Shikaku with a stupid looking smile on his face. "Welcome you two! Kotero the board is set up. SHIKAMARU! COME HERE!" Shikaku shouted the last part.

Shikamaru came out his hiding place and moved to see the Uzumaki brothers. "Nice to see you two again. Oyaji, what is it?" he asked.

"You and Naruto are going to be herding the deer before dinner is ready. Now go show Naruto the reins!" he ordered at his son.

"Jeez, Oyaji you didn't have to shout! Come on Naruto, let's get of here already," Shikamaru said as he left the house and grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him along.

Shikaku looked at Kotero intently, "Now that the pests are away, I'd say we should start our game!" he gruffly said.

He led Kotero through his house to a special room that had nothing apart from two mats and a shogi board. Beside the board was a battle of Sake and two saucers. ' _I know where this is going Shikaku, and I like it!'_ Kotero thought excitedly.

They both sat down across from each other and Shikaku filled up their saucers. "I'll go first to get it started," Shikaku said.

The game began, it started fast and both players were eliminating each other's pieces. Then it slowed down dramatically and both players were thinking of how the hell they were going to defeat one another. After two hours and forty-one turns, Shikaku got Kotero into a situation that was impossible to escape. "Checkmate!" he said with a smug face.

"Yeah you got me good. It was fun playing with ya you smart bastard!" Kotero chuckled out.

Both men laughed out, after a few seconds of laughing, Shikaku looks at Kotero, "That was a good game! Still not enough to beat me but I guess you could give Shika a run for his money," the elder Nara admitted.

"I haven't played in a while, I didn't expect you to be so hard. God, you're relentless with the silver generals!" Kotero said pouting.

"Yeah enough about the game though. We'll play again soon enough I hope. Shikamaru told me you were working on a medical seal?" Shikaku asked Kotero, the idea was very interesting.

"Well yeah, I've only been working on it just before I moved to Konoha. It's very hard to make a seal that stores medical chakra and then spreads it evenly across the body. I don't know why but the medical chakra doesn't behave like normal chakra. Maybe because it's prominently Yang chakra, who knows? It's all so troublesome. But there are so many benefits if I can get it to work. Ah, it's only a project. I will get it finished but I wanted to create it because there isn't a seal its type," Kotero said, admitting his shortcomings to Shikaku.

Shikaku nodded, "We supply deer antlers and ingredients from our forests to the hospital for their healing practices, so I know how amazing that kind of seal would be. You would probably be as famous as Tsunade-sama if you got it to work," Shikaku said.

"Hm, I would love to meet the woman. She's supposedly the strongest and most beautiful woman in the world. Too bad her location is damn near impossible to find. I tried finding her in the past for my sick mother, but I couldn't even sniff her trail," Kotero said sadly.

Shikaku knew it was a time to change the topic, this was too sensitive to talk about after just becoming friends. Luckily, Shikamaru and Naruto returned from the deer herding. The boys entered the room where the men were residing drinking their sake. "How'd the game go?" Shikamaru asked.

"Your Oyaji won! I just hope I didn't disappoint him with my... rusty skills," Kotero admitted.

"No, you were a good challenge. I like to play you again once you get a few more games under your belt!" Shikaku replied. "Come on, I think dinner is ready. Yoshino will kill me if we're late!" Shikaku paled after he said that. The boys all left the room and went over to the kitchen. Yoshino served them a huge feast and it was a night to remember between the Nara and Uzumaki.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	4. Chapter 4 - Stepladder

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto.**_ _ **All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 4 - Stepladder**

"There you go Yūhi-san, your cut is all better!" Kotero said with a friendly smile as helped an older woman off the ground.

"Thank you but you really didn't have to do this, I was stupid to just trip over like that!" the older woman said in a pleading tone.

"Well, how can I not help a lovely lady like yourself in a time of need?" Kotero asked rhetorically with his usual grin. ' _The older women love a young man with charm!'_ he thought.

The older woman got flustered by the unexpected comment, but a large smile crept up on her face. "Stop it, I don't need your flirting in the morning…" the older woman would've continued her little pseudo-rant for if not an ANBU appeared in front of the two.

"Sorry for interrupting your conversation Kotero-san but Hokage-sama wants to see you as soon as possible," The ANBU unit told the redhead in an emotionless tone. The ANBU unit was a man and the only thing that was different about him to every other ANBU unit was his yellow-billed duck mask. This ANBU unit and the cat masked ANBU unit were Kotero's favourites.

"Yeah cool! Just tell him I need to put the shopping away," Kotero replied, still smiling.

The ANBU unit nodded its head and vanished. Kotero turned around to see the older Yūhi woman. "Sorry Yūhi-san, I have to go now. Have a good day!" Kotero said cheerfully, walking away with a wave. The older woman didn't say anything but just waved back with a happy face.

Kotero walked through Konoha, basking in all the sunshine. It was early April and summer was approaching. Kotero couldn't wait, he loved the heatwave that was known as the Land of Fire's summer. He was strolling above the crowds of people, today was a busy day in the markets.

Jewels and jewellery made from gold and silver have been coming in cheap in the past month and every villager wanted to get some of luxury for a cheap price.

Kotero couldn't help it but wonder why the prices dropped so much and there was so many pieces, but he just played it off as a lucky break for the miners and craftsman from the other countries.

Kotero made it back to his and Naruto's house and he opened the front door. He walks in and sighs a breath of relief he didn't know he had. The house was still clean and tidy. Naruto is a messy person by nature, most likely from living by yourself for ten years. However, Kotero was, according to Naruto, a "Clean-freak" or "Neat-freak", and is "anal" about anything to do with the state of the house, even Naruto's room.

' _I just like the house clean and organised damnit! IS that too much to ask!?_ ' Kotero defended himself internally with a huff.

He walked over to the kitchen counter and put down the shopping bags. He started putting away the food and kitchen items, putting them in their rightful place in the different cabinets and drawers. He got to the end of the bag and picked up the ramen cups his little brother loved so much. He sighed as he put them away.

' _At least he doesn't leave them around the house anymore. I had to beat it out of him!'_ Kotero reminisced. Thinking of Naruto, he put the plastic shopping bags into the bin and scanned for any sign of blonde hair. There wasn't any blonde hair or anything orange in the living room or kitchen.

"NARUTO!" Kotero shouted as he went to look around.

"WHAT! I'M TRAINING!" Naruto shouted, his shout was muffled though, his voice was travelling through the walls and glass door to reach his older brother's ears. Kotero should have known Naruto was training. He slides the glass door open to see Naruto slowly walking up and down the tallest tree in their premises.

"What is it Nii-chan, I'm trying to improve my control here dattebayo!" Naruto hissed out.

' _He must be really into his training!'_ Kotero thought proudly. "How long have you've been doing that?" he asked.

"Three hours, an hour of that was completely upside down, but I got a huge headache, so I stopped that ttebayo," Naruto replied and began his repeated descent of the tree.

"Wow Naruto! Considering how we sparred well on the trees last time, I'd say you're ready for water walking! Anyway, I'm here to say that the Hokage wants to see me, you want to come with?" Kotero asked.

"Jiji? I haven't seen him in ages. I'll come yeah," Naruto happily answered.

"Well clean yourself up quick. We'll leave as soon as you're ready," Kotero decided.

Kotero was waiting by the front door in the hall, waiting for Naruto. The young boy, finally, ran down the stairs. He was wearing his usual outfit but instead of his black jacket with the orange stripes. He was wearing a very thin, baggy and loose orange cardigan, the cardigan only fitted his arms and shoulders. The Uzumaki symbol on its back like every piece of upper body clothing the Uzumaki brothers owned. Kotero got it for Naruto so he can wear it even during the warm weather.

The Uzumaki brothers left their home and went off to the Hokage tower. They ran on the roof tops, the public still didn't have the greatest opinion of the boy but never dared to do anything against him, in fear of what his older brother and the Hokage would do to them if they heard even a whisper about it. The pair made it to the Hokage tower, doing the usual greetings to the ANBU guards and the secretary that were in their usual posts. They climbed the stairs and got to the Hokage's office.

"This is going to be my office one day! When I become Hokage dattebayo!" Naruto declared before Kotero reached for the handle.

"Hm, I don't know if you have what it takes to be Hokage!" Kotero teased. "OW!" he then shouted out as Naruto pinched his bum. "Naruto, what the hell!?" Kotero demanded.

All Kotero received was Naruto crossing his chest and sticking out his tongue. "You are so going to get it in our next spar. Midget!" Kotero evilly said. Naruto paled at this and he then gulped despite the insult on his height. He was still sensitive on his height. Naruto only grew an inch so he's now four foot six inches. Not enough growth according to the young Uzumaki.

Kotero opened the door to see the old man working behind his desk with a mountain of paper work beside him. "You wanted to see me Jiji, I brought Naruto with me if you don't mind?" Kotero said as he opened the conversation.

"No, Naruto can stay, it's not a mission briefing but I do have good news!" The aged Hokage said out loud. Kotero and Naruto walked up to the old man, on the way Naruto gave a happy wave to his surrogate grandfather.

"Well what's the good news?" Naruto asked.

"Myself, the council and the ninja body have decided to promote your big brother to Jōnin rank!" Hiruzen happily said.

Kotero was shocked to the core when he heard this, he didn't expect to get promoted any time soon, he was expecting to get promoted after one year of service. "Thank you but I've only been here for six months, you trust me that much!?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"I said that you would probably be promoted soon enough during your evaluation. It also helps that your mission record is outstanding. Thirty-Three C-rank missions, twenty B-rank missions and sixteen A-rank missions. And with that stupid bet you did with my son and Kakashi, a hundred D-rank missions. Not that I'm not impressed with the D-rank missions, but I had no missions for the Genin for those ten days!" Hiruzen said with a proud voice.

' _And it helps he's already an A-rank nin in the bingo books,'_ the Hokage thought afterwards.

"Nii-chan, you did all of that?" Naruto asked. Receiving a nod, Naruto could only stare with awe as he looked at his older brother.

"Yeah, Jiji worked me like a horse like we promised. Hopefully the mission load lightens up a bit," Kotero said as he was getting comfortable on the chair he pulled out and sat on.

"I don't know about that, but we'll see. Just to let you know we have a small ceremony for you to get your jacket and certificate, and you'll meet the rest of the Jōnin. All of this will take place tomorrow," Jiruzen said as he got out of his chair and then sat on the couch beside Naruto. "Naruto, I see you're getting stronger! How's training?" he asked in his standard grandfather voice.

"Gooooooooood! Kotero-nii thinks I'm the strongest academy student in my class," Naruto exclaimed with a puffed-out chest.

"Really, can you tell me why Naruto?" Hiruzen asked, he was very interested in anything to do with Naruto.

"Well, I'm amazing at shurikenjutsu, my accuracy with my kunai and shuriken is deadly. I tried senbon needles, but they didn't feel right, so I completely ignored them. Kotero-nii gave me crap for it Jiji, he kept going how they were great and stuff ttebayo.

My taijutsu has improved, I can do well in a fight now after I sucked at it for so long. My strength and speed are like super-strong and super-fast.

And my chakra control is so good now that I can spar with Nii-chan on the sides of trees without falling off dattebayo!" Naruto quickly blurted out, the two others were amazed at the rate of words that came out of Naruto's mouth.

"So, you think you could become Rookie of the year then?" the Hokage asked his little blonde friend.

"Even if I could, I don't wanna! I'll leave it to Sasuke!" Naruto giggled out. Kotero also giggled at the nickname, and when he saw Sasuke for the first time, he couldn't help but laugh so hard, he made a scene of himself, everyone was staring at the random redhead laughing to no end on the streets of Konoha.

Hiruzen hummed with confusion. "Sasuke you say? I don't like the fact that one of my favourite little ninja doesn't want to be the best," he said.

"The one and only! Jiji, I got a plan for the future, and I don't want to mess it up. So what if I'm not rookie of the year? As if it would matter when I become Hokage" Naruto said loudly.

Hiruzen could only smile at this, "You know I hear he trains hard every day. He could be more of a challenge than you think Naruto?" the old man said. "He could become the Hokage."

"Sasuke become Hokage!? Hahaha, tell me a better joke Jiji. Anyway, he's strong for sure, but I'm even stronger. It's not always how hard you train Jiji, it's how smart you train! That was one of my first lessons from Nii-chan," Naruto replied with a wave of his fingers.

"How smart you train huh? I understand. You could spend beyond hours on one task where you could split it up and spend time concentrating on others, right?" the Hokage said.

"Sorta right Jiji, Nii-chan makes me do super duper training, so I'm getting stronger and faster whenever I do any task. It was hard, but the results are unbelievable."

"Now that you tell me you've been doing some _super duper exercise..._ I can see your muscles from your cardigan. You're going to be a strong ninja for me, Naruto!" the Hokage said while patting Naruto's shoulder.

"Thanks Jiji, I would be stronger if Kotero-nii didn't leave the house so much dattebayo!" Naruto jokingly yelled. Kotero was brought out of his musing, staring at the pictures of the past Hokage.

"Sorry little man, but you knew I would have to do so many missions. We needed money to feed your black hole you call a stomach and to make me a more credible ninja. And I needed to do my own training, the world doesn't revolve around you Naru-chan!" Kotero said with a cheeky grin.

"I thought I told not to call me that!" Naruto replied angrily to his big brother.

"I hope sensei's notes and jutsu are helping you Kotero?" the Hokage asked his favourite red-haired ninja.

"Yeah, but he had way too many jutsu, there's still so many I have to learn. And the ones I picked to learn first I just mastered only recently! Ah it's such a pain in the hole, but I'm making progress," Kotero replied with a hand rubbing his forehead, then moving it through his hair.

"I read from the report with the mission of delivering the classified documents with Kakashi and he wrote that you did the **Water release: Water dragon bullet technique** by drawing water from the ground when you encountered nasty bandits. Is this true?" the Hokage questioned. "Although it was stated to be moderate in size, he stated that the speed of its creation was impressive."

"Yeah, I'm trying to draw water from the air and ground, but it's beyond difficult. I could've made the dragon more scary and bigger I suppose, but that takes so much of my energy, I rather keep it ya hear. I don't know how the Nidaime did it so well. Must be from the years in the shinobi clan wars and his high-water affinity," Kotero yawned out. "I'll catch up to him. He's sort of my role model now."

"There hasn't been a Water ninjutsu user like him ever since, let's hope you can become like Tobirama-sensei," Hiruzen said. He got off the couch and went back to his desk.

"The ceremony is at two in the afternoon tomorrow. Naruto can come but he can't go to the Jōnin longue afterwards. And I set up a photographer to take a new picture for your Jōnin files. That's all so you two can leave and let this old man do his paper work!" he lightly ordered.

Naruto and Kotero said their departures and left the office then tower. They both walked to the Ichirku ramen stand to celebrate Kotero's Jōnin promotion.

They took their places and waited to get served. "AH, Naruto-kun and Kotero-kun, what can I do for you today?" Ayame asked as she saw the regular Uzumaki brothers.

"Ayame-neechan, today is a special occasion dattebayo! So, can we have five bowls of miso pork please!" Naruto asked, he did the ordering and Kotero did the paying, much to his despair.

"Oh, what's the special occasion Naruto? Something in the academy?" she asked with a big smile.

"Pssh, as if! No, Kotero-nii is being promoted to a Jōnin!" Naruto nearly shouted out.

"Really! Wow Kotero-kun, you must be one of the strongest ninja in the village!" Ayame exclaimed.

"No, he is the strongest ninja in the village!" Naruto did shout out.

Eyes then fell on the quiet redhead as he let the two converse. "I'd say the Hokage is still stronger than me. We only had one light spar because he is so busy, but the amount of power he has is unbelievable. I would love to fight for real!" Kotero said, talking more to himself rather than to Naruto or Ayame.

"Is Jiji really that strong?" Naruto asked.

"Well he wouldn't be Hokage for decades if he wasn't Naruto. He was probably a monster when he was in his prime. But the times are different. When he was around my age, he was in the beginning of the first great shinobi war, he'd have to get stronger to protect the Land of Fire and Konoha. Now we have peace so that pressure isn't there for us," Kotero replied.

"Ah, your orders, I'll tell Tou-san you need food quick!" Ayame cried out before she ran off to the back of the stand.

Naruto and Kotero sat there waiting for their noodles. Naruto was twirling his thumbs around each other and lightly tapping the wall of the stand. "Do you I can get as strong as Jiji?" Naruto asked, trying to pass the time by sating his curiosity.

"Stronger," was all Kotero said, he didn't even look at Naruto.

"Really!?" Naruto gasped out.

"Of course, everyone can, for some it would be harder, and for some it could be easier. But that doesn't mean they will. You must train beyond insanity to reach his level. He isn't called the 'God of Shinobi' for nothing. Like I said, you have so much potential. The only thing you must do is train and gain experience. Have a goal or mindset in mind to guide you on your way."

"What's your goal or mindset?" Naruto asked.

Kotero looked at his little brother, "Protecting you and my loved ones!" Kotero said. Just as Kotero finished his sentence, the first round of noodles came, courtesy from Ayame.

"There you go boys! Enjoy!" she said as she took care of the other customers.

Naruto was blushing a bit from the statement coming from his older brother. He loved receiving these heartfelt comments. "But I want to get strong enough to protect you!" Naruto declared.

"By the time you get strong enough to protect me, we can protect each other! Don't forget that. You can't burden everything alone, that's why we have family and friends," Kotero said as he began to eat his bowl.

Naruto just stared at his big brother, then he went on to eat his own noodles. The silence didn't last long as when they finished their bowls, the two brothers talked until they finished their orders. With their bellies full of noodles, they went home to crash.

Kotero was feeling sleepy and needed to lie down somewhere comfortable. They entered their home and Kotero went straight for the couch after he took off his shinobi boots. "Ah, so comfy! Naru-chan, can you make me a cup of tea please!" Kotero asked with puppy dog eyes.

Naruto wasn't amused one bit. "I'll make you a cup if you promise me you won't call me that anymore!" he offered with a stern look.

"A week?"

"No!"

"A month?"

Naruto thought about for a few seconds, "Fine, a month, jeez you're such a pain dattebayo!" Naruto spat out.

Naruto scurried to the kitchen to boil the kettle. He opened the cupboard and found the box of teabags. He then saw some special edition instant ramen cups beside the box. ' _God, Nii-chan knows me too well!_ ' Naruto thought. He put the bag in the cup and poured the water in. He brought the cup to Kotero with a spoon and a small plate. "I still can't make the tea the way you like it, so you can do it yourself!" he said as he went upstairs.

"That takes a week off then!" Naruto heard his big brother shout from the living room. Naruto sighed and went to his room. He closed the door behind him and sat behind his desk. He stared at the pile of scrolls, tags and pieces of paper on his desk. He was introduced to storage seals and exploding tags when his handwriting was a suitable level, Kotero was very stern when it came to fūinjutsu.

Over the time six months that they've been together, Naruto tried to quit fūinjutsu once. Pissed would be an understatement to describe Kotero's anger that day. His usual calm expressions turned to outright fury. When Kotero shouted "If you give up this, you're showing everyone that you have no dedication. If you give up this, you might as well give up in becoming Hokage!" to his face. Back then, Naruto felt so little and knew he made a mistake. He steeled himself and began practising again with a new determination.

With his handwriting now satisfactory, he truly began his fūinjutsu training. With the exploding tags, he was loving it. Making a tag with just ink, paper and stored chakra, seeing a big explosion come from it was nothing short of amazing. When Kotero was home from missions, he gave more lessons in different seals and their purposes. Naruto learnt that seals can make hot water or seal fire away. Seals can even completely constrict someone of their movements. The he went to talk about the art of Juinjutsu or the art of cursed seals. Kotero didn't like them at all, Naruto didn't either when he found out what they did to the people who had been sealed. They were practically slaves.

A knock was heard from the door. The sudden sound made Naruto jump in his seat, he was so concentrated on work he didn't realize the noise. Another knock was heard, obviously indicating the person wanted to come in. "Yeah," Naruto said loudly.

The door opened and Kotero walked in, he then leaned on the wall and made himself comfortable. "How you doing?" he asked.

"Good, these seals are easy to make now ttebayo. I say it won't be long till I make more advanced ones," Naruto stated.

"Well, we'll see if you're good enough. Now I'm going to train. Keep up the good work Naruto!" Kotero cheered out quietly.

"Sweet!" Naruto shouted as Kotero left the room and went downstairs. He grabbed his equipment and left through the back of the house. He took a breath of fresh air, Naruto and Kotero had so many different flowers in their garden as both loved to garden.

The smell was intense but magnificent. Kotero focused and ventured deep into the forest. He walked for fifteen minutes until he saw his training spot he used for his Water ninjutsu training. There was a small stream flowing through the ground. Kotero had dug a hole and joined it to the spring so there was a constant large pool of water. There were many trees, all different types of deciduous trees. Their leaves were just beginning to grow.

Kotero saw a large group of rocks together. The rocks were massive in size, twenty-foot high at least. He went up to the closest rock. There was an engraved Uzumaki symbol on it. He cut his finger and spread it vertically down the symbol. Then he did the hand seals Horse-Tiger-Snake and shouted "OPEN!", putting his right open hand on the blood covered Uzumaki symbol. A faint glow of blue was emitted from the spiral and then the light intensified.

The spiral did a full spin and there was a loud " **CLICK** " heard from within the rock.

A square shape of the rock, about seven-foot tall and three-foot wide slid down to the ground. The space revealed to be the start of a staircase. Kotero walked down the stairs, torches on the wall lit up as he descended. He finally reached the bottom of the steps. In front of his eyes were rows of bookshelves, a six by six formation with spaces between each bookshelf and a large space in the middle of the formation, making two groups of eighteen bookshelves.

They were filling up with scrolls and books. In the end was a large armoury, that housed old Uzumaki samurai style armour and old Uzumaki blades. There was a humongous banner that was on the wall at the end of the large space. It had a large blue Uzumaki clan symbol on it.

Around the banner were stones that naturally emitted a turquoise light. What Kotero has built, with the aid of hundreds of shadow clones over the last five months, was a Uzumaki armoury, library and bunker, safe housing everything that was taken by the clan when the destruction of Uzushiogakure happened.

It was mostly empty, the bookshelves were barely filled, the armoury only had a handful of weapons. The only impressive items was the old armour attire of his ancestors.

Truth be told, the man had only built a large square room in the space of five months in his spare time with the limited use of basic earth ninjutsu.

It wasn't his affinity, Kotero could only grasp the basics and even then it took him months and a lot of focus to carve out this space. Some might even call it pathetic.

Kotero thought sadly of his clan, but he didn't for long. He walked to the left and picked up a large box filled with the notes of the second Hokage. Kotero picked up the large box and left his bunker. Going up the steps and finally reaching the surface again, the natural light blinded his eyes a bit.

' _Happens every time!'_ he thought annoyingly. He walked to the open space and took out some of the jutsu scrolls.

Kotero moved away from the river stream and the Uzumaki bunker entrance. He walked to a patch of land that was dried up, it had no plant life on the surface. Kotero for the next three hours practiced his water ninjutsu. Kotero throughout the training focused on his water affinity chakra. He was trying to be like the Nidaime, as he was able to pull the water molecules out of the air.

This was the training Kotero has been doing in regard to ninjutsu since he received Senju Tobirama's jutsu and notes. Kotero couldn't lose his focus, he could feel himself improving despite the slow progress. The three hours were up, and Kotero was feeling very tired, he needed to improve so he wouldn't have to waste chakra trying to pull the water molecules from the air. Kotero sighed and went back to the river stream, once he arrived, he sat at a nearby tree trunk.

Kotero rested his eyes for a while, just breathing contently with the progress he made. Listening to the nature around him always made him feel at peace. After a few minutes, he stood up and walked away from the water, wanting to test his skills without a water supply after some rest. He flashed through the signs Tiger-Snake-Rat-Snake-Tiger, ' _ **Water release: Water encampment wall,** ' _he interally shouted.

Kotero shot out water from his mouth, it gushed out at incredible speeds and formed a large wave that raised and got thicker every second. He stopped the jutsu and let the water splash down. He quickly looked around at the plant life, they only withered slightly from the jutsu.

Using the water that exists in the soil is the way to use water ninjutsu when there isn't a true water source close by, such as a pond or lake.

"Good grief! I'm getting better at this, but at a snail's pace. Maybe in a year or so with this training method, I can be like the Nidaime. His level is so close, yet so far away. But for the life of me, I'm exhausted. I want to try it one more time, but with one hand seal," he thought out loud.

Kotero formed the tiger hand sign and let his chakra manipulate itself to form the jutsu. ' _ **Water release: Water encampment wall,** ' _Kotero thought once again.

The same result happened but the water wasn't as powerful, and it was harder to concentrate on the jutsu. He let it drop and then fell on his rear, breathing raggedly. "What did I expect, it was never going to go perfect first-time round. I need to train more!" he told himself.

Kotero got off the ground and put everything back in the box. He went down the stairs of the Uzumaki bunker and placed the box by the entrance to the large room. Kotero climbed back up the stairs until he was outside again. He put his hand on the rock entrance and flowed his chakra into it. The square rock with the Uzumaki clan symbol rose up and went back to its original place. The blood line now vanished, it was if there wasn't anything strange about the rock at all.

"That does it for today. I better get home and make Naruto and I some dinner!" Kotero said as he quickly dashed home.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

 **SNAP!**

"Lovely picture there you two! I'm sure you'll be proud to display it Kotero-san," The old photographer said as he handed Kotero two pictures. One of him kneeling beside Naruto, arms wrapping each other's shoulders and smiling at the camera. The other of Kotero, the Hokage and Naruto all beside each other smiling at the camera.

"Thank you, Genzo-san these are perfect," Kotero said as he was looking intently at the new pictures, a huge smile beaming off his face. "Here's a little extra for a job well done," Kotero waved Genzo off after he threw a small pouch of ryó at the old photographer.

Kotero went off and found the Hokage and Naruto at the top of the staircase that lead to the roof of the Hokage tower. He walked over to them and patted Naruto's shoulder. "We looked great. I have a mission for you Naruto," Kotero said as he knelt to Naruto's level.

"A mission? What is it?" he asked, getting excited.

"You have to get these photos back home and put them into the picture frames we bought together. Then you have to go to Yoshino-san and have dinner with her and Shikamaru," Kotero said in a stern voice.

Naruto just nodded "What's the reward Nii-chan?" he asked.

"After my next mission, all you can eat ramen!" Kotero said happily. Naruto's smile grew tenfold. He took the photos carefully in their plastic sleeve. Naruto then jumped onto the railing and ran off towards their house. "Tch, he didn't even say goodbye. Why am I even taking care of a such ungrateful brat!" Kotero practically yelled out with his arms swinging in the air.

The Hokage just laughed at the scene and put his hand on Kotero's shoulder. "Come, we're going to meet the other Jōnin," the aged leader said.

Kotero and the Hokage walked down the stairs and went to the Jōnin longue that was located at the back of the tower. As the pair entered the room, everyone's eyes fell on the redhead and the short man wearing the pointy hat. "Welcome your new Jōnin comrade, Uzumaki Kotero!" The Hokage said in his chakra amplified voice.

Claps were heard to Kotero's ears as he scanned the room for any familiar faces that he worked with. In the back, he saw Genma, who he worked on a couple of missions together with, chewing on his senbon and Hayate beside him. Both gave him acknowledgement by a nod. Kotero returned the nod, he was going to continue scanning but was pulled into a headlock by one Sarutobi Asuma.

"You made it to the big boys Kotero!" He proudly said as he began to give Kotero a nuggie.

"Ah Asuma! This is not how you congratulate people. You usually buy sake or give them money, not harass them," Kotero all but shouted as he got out of the headlock.

"Look sorry bro, but you're finally a Jōnin. Now Kakashi has to give me ten thousand ryó!" Asuma said rather happily.

Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and gave a stack of cash to the smoking Jōnin.

"You guys had a bet on me!?" Kotero asked, completely surprised.

"Yeah I thought it would be another two months before you got promoted but Asuma said you'd be promoted around now. I don't know how this happened," Kakashi sulkily said as he sunk into his book of smut.

"Hm, I don't know how I feel about this," Kotero said under his breath.

A series of crashes and eccentric noises were heard coming towards the trio. In a flash, a man with a bowl hair-cut, a large nose, wearing a green spandex suit with a green Jōnin jacket and orange leg warmer around his shins. Kotero was a little freaked by the suit,

' _I can see all his muscles, even the ones that should be completely covered.'_ Kotero thought as he blocked his face with his arms, blinding his vision from looking at the groin area of Gai, intelligently using the rushed appearance of Gai as a guise of an attack. ' _Now nobody would think I looked at his dick!'_ Kotero internally screamed. Still not composed from seeing all the green.

"OHHH! MY ETERNAL RIVAL KAKASHI AND ASUMA TELL ME YOU ARE TRULY A SPLENDID NINJA. IF YOU IMPRESS ME I SHALL LET YOU BE ONE OF MY RIVALS. I AM KNOWN AS THE HANDSOME AND NOBLE GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA, MAITO GAI. PLEASE DO THE HONOR OF INTRODUCING YOURSELF!" the crazy spandex wearer shouted at the three. Kotero was completely shocked to his core. He has never, ever seen something as strange as this.

"Gai, calm down, he isn't here five minutes and you're already making a bad impression for us Jōnin to Kotero," Kakashi said lazily but with a bit steel in it.

"Ah sorry, I just got very excited on the prospect of a new rival!" Gai said at a quieter volume.

"It's good, I'm Uzumaki Kotero, pleasure to meet you Gai-san!" Kotero said in his polite voice.

"SO YOUTHFUL! It seems our new brother knows manners. For your reward, I shall bestow a great gift to you. One of my custom made spandex suits, these babies help you train harder and won't let you feel your sweat! So, fighting is more exhilarating! Here!" Gai said after he whipped out a spandex suit from his poach. "Do not worry. It is fresh, unlike the rest."

The suit suddenly turned to shreds. Gai was visibly shocked on what happened, he went to the ground and picked up the scraps. Gai then looked up to see Kakashi with a kunai in his hand and Asuma with his trench knives. Both staring down at Gai, darkness shrouding their eyes.

"Sorry Gai, but we cannot allow you to give that suit to our new brother," Kakashi said in a scary tone.

"Yes, we cannot defile our newest member, now can we? Asuma said in an equally scary tone.

Kotero was relieved he didn't have to wear that piece of crap. As the whole thing was going on he heard muttering of "Demon child's brother". He was infuriated from this small comment and stared at the two talking about Naruto. He sent all his anger at them. Both flinched as they sensed the darnkess emnating from him. The coldness was unreal. They looked at Kotero, his face had a small snarl to it but his amethyst eyes staring coldly at them. One message behind them "speak one more word and I'll kill you."

They both put their heads down and had a cold sweat. ' _What pressure,'_ they both thought.

The other Jōnin flinched when they sensed the murderous intent, now they clearly know that bad-mouthing Naruto near his big brother is a death sentence. Asuma, Kakashi, Genma, Hayate and the Hokage weren't surprised by this reaction, they knew how much Kotero loved Naruto.

A kunai flew through the air and brushed across Kotero's nose. He didn't move as he sensed it coming and he knew who threw it.

As it flew, he brought his index finger up and channelled wind chakra into the fingertip. The chakra manifested itself onto the tip of his finger, and forced the kunai to change direction.

The kunai dug deep into the wall. At the start it was aimed for his face, but now it was a fair distance away from Kotero to even threathen him. Everyone was impressed, even the Hokage who made himself quiet after his son came over to congratulate Kotero.

None were more impressed than the kunoichi that threw it. She slinked her way out of the crowd and moved her way to her new prey. Her trench coat flapping about as she waltzed over to Kotero. The other men were moving away from the snake mistress. Kotero only hearing stories but never having the pleasure of meeting her stood his ground.

She stood in front of him, she put her hands on her hips, pulling on her trench coat so it can reveal her outfit. It was a fishnet suit with a mini skirt. Kotero kept his eyes on hers, knowing what she was playing at. If she was willing to reveal this much, he had no doubt she wasn't wearing any straps or a bra to cover her chest.

' _Play her at her own game Kotero!'_ he thought. "Yo," was all he said as he never broke eye contact with her, looking down at her because of the height difference.

"Yo," was all that was replied from the purple haired woman.

Kotero was bored with her just standing there. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Anko, Mitarashi Anko," She answered.

"Cool," Kotero said. Still not leaving eye contact.

"Am I not going to get your name?" she asked. She never broke eye contact either.

"You already know it, but fine I'll say it again. I'm Uzumaki Kotero," he said blankly.

She just stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. The room was dead silent, everyone was staring at Anko and Kotero. "Hm, you're different from every other guy. You haven't looked down yet. Why?" Anko asked as she truly wondered this, every man she met ogled her boobs.

The next response was something no one expected. "Eh, I've seen better," Kotero said blankly, his face never leaking any emotion. Anko was stunned by the unorthodox response she would normally receive.

"You've seen better, maybe you would think differently if we were alone eh?" she said with a sly grin and an evil glint in her eyes.

"Whatever, you can flaunt them all you want. I've still seen better," Kotero stated.

Anko fumed at this and stomped off. ' _He hasn't seen the last of me yet!'_ she thought repeatedly, thinking of new ways to deceive the new red head.

Kakashi went up to Kotero with one wide eye. "How did you do that? That has never happened before," He asked. Asuma and Gai had the same question in mind and were waiting for the answer to defeat the pestering snake mistress if they ever fell into her grasp. They shivered at the thought of getting tortured by her.

"What do you mean that has never happened before, did she tease all of you like that?" Kotero asked them, they only nodded in response. "Well it's too late for you guys then. It's all about first impressions for those type of people!" He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Gai said calmly, a total opposite for usual persona.

"If I broke and looked at her boobs or did something stupid. She'll grab that with both her hands and embarrass me to no end. Now, I didn't give her anything, I just talked to her like I wasn't looking for anything to do with her. From what I can tell from her reaction and from you guys said. It's the first time someone stood up to that crazy woman. Now, unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if she follows me like a beast following her prey!" Kotero said blankly.

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing?" Asuma said.

"We'll see. It's not like she has anything to make fun of me with. If she wants a challenge, then she's going to get one," Kotero replied to the trio of men beside him.

"You're insane, no one challenges Anko's games because she's insane. You're going to die!" Kakashi said with some sympathy for his friend.

"I don't know. Maybe she'll be the one to regret it," Kotero said with a small grin.

"You interested in her at all Kotero?" Asuma asked with a small grin.

Kotero knew the hidden meaning behind those words. "To tell you the truth. Do I like her as a person? So far yes. Romantically? Not a chance. For now, she is a very interesting woman. She either wears that outfit because she has such confidence she doesn't care what people think of her. Or, she's using the outfit to get confidence because she was in much pain," Kotero said out loud.

The three men were impressed by how much the redhead gathered what information he gathered from one talk with Anko. "She's still in a state of sorrow. She was Orochimaru's apprentice, and he gave her a cursed seal. And when Orochimaru deserted Konoha, she was ostracized by the village," Kakashi told Kotero.

' _Must have stopped when Naruto was born then!_ ' Kotero internally said. He twirled around to see Asuma, Gai and Kakashi standing beside each other. "A cursed seal you say? I was teaching Naruto about the history about Juinjutsu only a week and a half ago. Has it been sealed off or removed?" Kotero asked.

"Neither," the Hokage said as he walked closer to the group of four Jōnin. "Perhaps you could have a look at it after your next mission Kotero?" Hiruzen said.

Kotero just stared at his leader with a blank face. "Sure I could. I would have to study it before I do anything about it though, Hokage-sama," Kotero said as he looked at the doors where Anko left.

"Good, now Kotero, let's go to my office. I need to tell you some things," The Hokage said as he patted Kotero's shoulder.

Both the Hokage and Kotero walked out of the office after Kotero gave his usual fist bumps to both Kakashi and Asuma. He also gave one to Gai who gladly gave a fist bump back. He then proceeded to give his famous 'nice guy' pose that Kotero was warned about. This was followed by a rant about youthfulness and the brilliance of the springtime of youth. Kotero could only sweat drop at this. He then escaped by leaving with the Hokage.

The Hokage and Kotero would have their usual rounds of conversation as they were walking to Hiruzen's office. The Hokage always liked Kotero's perspective on things because he lived most of his life on the outside and only lived inside the village for about six months. Kotero didn't have a biased view when it came to village matters or politics, so it was easy to bounce ideas off him. Kotero also didn't belong to one of the council clans so and it seemed he didn't care for the council anyway, so there was no power-hungry desire behind his words or actions.

They finally made it to the Hokage's office and proceeded to enter. They both sat down in their chairs and looked at each other. "So, why're we here Jiji?" Kotero asked.

"I'm sending you on your first mission as a Jōnin tomorrow, it'll be a B-rank mission, you have to deliver a new treaty of trade to the Land of Stone. I'm sending a squad with you. Izumo and Kotestu are going because you work well with them and I don't want them getting too comfortable with guard duty. And Yūhi Kurenai, she's our most skilled genjutsu user, and I'm confident she'll be promoted to Jōnin soon," Hiruzen said.

The conversation was making Kotero feeling strange, ' _Why the hell is he telling me the night before?'_ he thought. "Jiji, what gives? You never tell me big mission details before the actual day," Kotero asked.

"I know! It's just I want to warn you," he said.

"Warn me? What for?" Kotero had to ask.

"Jiraiya, one of my pupils, has a spy network that covers all the countries across the lands. He has written me a report about a certain redhead making certain countries notice him and want his head because of his skill. That Konoha didn't need another superb shinobi, especially one that is an Uzumaki," The Hokage said grimly.

"You have to be kidding? I do my job, I pay my taxes and I still get a hit on my head. Why?" Kotero asked with his hands covering his face.

"You're last A-rank mission with Kakashi has caused a small rift in the lands and you're now in the bingo books as an A-level target. Here, look at page sixty-nine," Hiruzen said after throwing a green book with a small giggle at the page number.

Kotero just scoffed as grabbed the book. It was the recent edition of the bingo book. He flipped through the pages and he found page sixty-nine. He saw a hand drawn picture of his description. They couldn't use a real photo of Kotero because they were none. He had to admit, whoever drew this did a damn good job on him. He then began to read the skills and bounty list.

Ninjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, and others were all supposed Jōnin level. Genjutsu was an unknown and his other stats like chakra capacity was also unknown. ' _No surprise there eh!_ ' he thought.

Kotero looked at the bottom of the page and saw the countries that had a bounty on his head. There was only one major hidden village, and it was Iwagakure. It was twenty-five million ryó. "I wonder how Iwa knew Kakashi and I were the ones who stole the crates of Jewels to give to the Grass Daimyō and the Frost Daimyō?" Kotero wondered out loud. "They must have a spy, there's no way they could have such a good grasp on my skills and appearance," he said to the Hokage.

"We did, and she's in prison. It was an Iwa kunoichi who snuck in as a jewellery merchant. She had forged papers from a guild of merchants and resided from the Land of Honey. They could pass off as authentic.

Somehow, she got information from our drunk shinobi by playing them and hearing your achievements from your latest missions. If we didn't detect her with her messenger hawk, she would have gotten away.

I'd say they are very annoyed, and the Earth Daimyō would be the angriest of the lot. Those crates of Jewels you stole from the caravan were meant for him, his wife and daughter. If I had to guess, he would have been the one to order the hit on you," Hiruzen said.

Kotero just sighed "Then why are you putting me on this mission, wouldn't it be a danger?" he questioned.

"Yes, normally I wouldn't put you on it. But you're a good diplomat. We need this trade deal and I believe you're the only one who can make it possible. I'm warning you to be careful and come back safe," The Hokage said with worry in his voice.

"I'll do my best as always," Kotero said with confidence.

Hiruzen just nodded and pulled out a small but thick scroll. "Here, read this, it'll give you info our spies have gathered on Iwa ninja. It's better to be informed," The Hokage told him.

"Thanks Jiji, I'm going home!" Kotero exclaimed as he got off his feet and left the office.

As he was walking home, he kept having a sinking feeling deep within his gut. ' _Damn old man. He jinxed me with that warning. How the hell did I get A-rank warning? This must be God having a pisstake on my life or some crazy ass bullshit!'_ Kotero thought angrily.

He then remembered he had to pick up Naruto from the Nara compound when he was about to open the door. "Fuck my life!" he said quietly and grimly. Kotero needed to exert some of his pent-up frustrations. ' _How about a nice hard run to Yoshino's place!'_ he shouted in his head. He used his natural speed, his feet and body moved like blurs and he dashed to the Nara compound. As he was travelling at breakneck speeds, he was slowly calming down, he didn't need to show his anger to his little brother or the woman who has been so kind to him and Naruto, as if she was their own mother.

He arrived at the Nara compound, slowing down considerably and landing silently. Kotero then went up to the front door and knocked lightly. There Shikamaru opened the door and saw Kotero, "Yo Kotero, heard you got promoted. Congrats!" Shikamaru said with a smile. He has been looking up to Kotero for a while now. Kotero beat him in shogi and has been telling him, Chōji and Naruto all about his missions from the last few months. He doesn't say it often, but he considers him and Naruto his bros.

"Thanks, is Naruto in? Shikamaru?" Kotero asked.

"Yeah, he's just helping out Kaa-san with the cleaning," The Nara heir answered.

"Good kid! Am I welcome to come in?" Kotero inquired.

"Is that even a question?" Shikaku asked rhetorically from inside the house.

Kotero strolled in, patting Shikamaru on the head on the way. He saw Shikaku sweeping the floor with a small grin. "I'm glad you're finally promoted," Shikaku said sincerely.

"Finally? I'll be busier, so it'll keep you from hounding me to play Shogi with you," Kotero replied with a smirk.

"I'm the Jōnin commander, I can make you my assistant and then we'll have to play all day!" Shikaku said with an evil grin.

"You are a sly bastard!" Kotero said as he had a small smile and started scratching his forehead with his knuckle.

"That's no way to speak to your superior. Punishment is one round of Shogi after your next mission!" Shikaku declared then proceeding to laughing.

"Ah, ever since I beat your son, you never leave me alone. God why have you done this me?... But I prefer playing you than looking at Kakashi's smut and smelling Asuma's smoking addiction," Kotero said to the two pineapple haired Naras in the room.

"Hm, I'm happy to have a competent ninja that's all. And the two you mention love their antics so much it's part of their image. Kakashi has been reading those books since he was a Jōnin, and he was twelve when he became one," Shikaku said.

"God, what a pervert!" Kotero cried out.

At that moment Yoshino and Naruto entered the room. Both smiled at the redhead standing in the middle. "Kotero-kun/Nii-chan!" they both shouted at the same time.

Kotero just smiled at the reaction. "Yo Naruto, Yoshino," he said in his friendly tone.

The Nara family and the Uzumaki brothers talked for a bit before it was already ten o'clock. "Kotero-nii, we should go home," Naruto said a bit tiredly as he looked at his older brother.

"Yeah, I have a mission tomorrow," Kotero replied with an equally tired tone.

"Another one. The Hokage is running you ragged," Yoshino said with concern, as she cared for the Uzumaki brothers like they were her own family.

"I know but he says my diplomatic skills are needed. I don't know but I think people are freaked out by my eyes, so they'll agree to anything just to get me out of there," Kotero yawned out with a chuckle.

Shikaku and Shikamaru stifled a small laugh but Yoshino was confused "Do you not like your eyes Kotero-kun?" Yoshino asked.

"No, I do like my eyes, hell I love them. But amethyst eyes are so strange. I've never seen anyone with a shade of purple in their eyes my whole life. Neither of my parents had amethyst eyes. It's freaky when you think about," he said to the group.

"Well, I'm glad you like them, you shouldn't say something bad about the colour anyway. They're amazingly pretty and like you said they're unique," Yoshino said as she went face to face to Kotero, her eyes only centimetres from his.

"Yoshino, thanks for the offer but I can't go out with a married woman. Goes against the rules. Bros before hoes, you know how it is," Kotero jokingly said. Yoshino was completely thrown off by the direction of the conversation. Her face became all red and she scampered back to a worried looking Shikamaru and Shikaku mouthing the words "Save yourselves!"

Kotero got the message, grabbed Naruto's shoulder and body-flickered out of the house. Shouts and screams could be heard from an angry Nara mother from all over Konoha. Kotero huffed out, knowing he'll have to buy flowers for Yoshino and play shogi with both the head and heir to the clan when he comes back home.

"I can't believe she got so mad from that one comment!" Naruto said as he opened the door to their house.

"Naruto, you will understand one day. Women like Yoshino are extremely proud. My comment must have hit a nerve, the idea of her wanting to cheat on Shikaku with me. I can see why she got mad, but it's funny by how much," Kotero said to his little brother as he closed the door. "I'm going to bed. I have to leave the village at eight in the morning for my mission. Don't expect me to wake you up like usual."

Naruto was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, wondering about his brother, ' _There's something bothering Nii-chan._ _He's so sluggish compared to his usual self,'_ Naruto thought as he went up the stairs himself and went to bed.

* * *

 **The next morning**

 **RING! RING! RING! SMASH!**

"Stupid alarm clock, and Nii-chan isn't here dattebayo, now I have to make my own breakfast again," Naruto complained as he got out of his comfy double bed. He stretched his bones and cracked his knuckles.

He quickly ran to the bathroom and washed his tired face. Slapping his face with both his hands, the sudden pain shocked his system and his body woke up. He then yawned and rubbed where the stinging pain was on his face. He ran downstairs and quickly grabbed a rice bun and apple. He grabbed an instant ramen cup and started boiling the kettle. While he was waiting for the water to boil, he ate his rice bun and munched his apple.

The kettle rang its high pitch ring. Naruto opened the ramen pack and poured the water in and closed the top. He waited three long minutes. Finally, the small timer he set when he poured the water in dinged and he instantly gulped down his noodles. When he finished, he put the pack in the bin and ran back upstairs. He went in the bathroom again and grabbed a wet wipe and cleaned his greasy noodle juice covered face. He sprinted in his room and threw on his clothes. He wore his usual attire but instead of wearing his black jacket, by accident he wore his cardigan again. He strapped his single ninja pouch onto his right hip and then strapped his shuriken holster onto his right leg.

"That's everything. Ah that flavour is still in my mouth ttebayo! Thank you Nii-chan for buying the special editions! I gotta go to the academy before Iruka-sensei kills me," Naruto said as he ran out of the house. He dashed along the rooftops, a small blur to all the normal villagers. He made it to the academy with time to spare. He walked inside quickly and took his place beside Shikamaru's seat. Not even a minute later, both Chōji and Shikamaru entered the classroom and took their places beside the blonde. "Yo," Naruto said as they sat down.

"Yo Naruto!" Chōji said with a gleeful smile as he opened another bag of food.

"Naruto. Kaa-san expects an apology and a present from your brother next time he sees her!" Shikamaru shivered out from his mother's overreaction to last night's comment.

Naruto gulped. "I think he knows, I'd say he already ordered a batch of roses from Ino's dad's shop," he said as he got comfortable in his seat.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and saw that class was nearly full, all the people he remembers from the back of mind are here Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Ino, Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke has been annoying Naruto lately, it seems he has gone even broodier. This made all the girls in the class even more irritating to the blond. He just wished class would start so the 'Sasuke-kun' shenanigans could stop. His wish was granted as his favourite and most hated teacher entered the room. "Good morning class!" both teachers said.

"Good morning Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei," The class cried out in mixed voices.

* * *

 **Three hours later**

"Ah it's finally break time, jeez my back is so stiff now. This academy business is so troublesome," Shikamaru groaned as he sat down beside the tree, the usual spot where the trio of friends sit.

Chōji was staring at Naruto's cardigan, as the blonde usually wore his black jacket. "That top new Naruto?" he asked.

"This?" Naruto asked. "Yeah Kotero-nii got it for me when he was in the Capital. He said it screamed my name and he had to get it!" he explained explained.

"Now that I notice it, it fits you really well, you usually wore that baggy but slim jacket. I never realized you had so many muscles Naruto!" Shikamaru said, as he only saw it yesterday. Chōji nodded his head, agreeing with the Nara.

"Whatever, it must be from Kotero-nii's training and the mountains of food he feeds me. I rather have a few inches then great biceps. I don't get it, I eat so much but I'm still the smallest guy here. I'm even shorter than Ino and Sakura," Naruto complained.

"Doesn't matter Naruto, you're one of the youngest guys here as well, you will have your growth spurts," Chōji reassuringly said to his friend.

"Yeah hope your right. I just want to get big and strong, so I can protect Nii-chan, you guys and Hokage-Jiji," Naruto declared.

"Kotero? He's one of the strongest ninja in the village and he's recently promoted to Jōnin in less than a year of service. I don't think you need to worry about him Naruto," Shikamaru said.

"I hope you're right, I have a bad feeling about the mission he's on now," Naruto told them, speaking of his built-up worry.

"How come?" Chōji asked.

"Well he seemed out of it, like since he came back to me after the Jōnin ceremony, he was being followed by an unnatural force," Naruto said.

"Woah that's some deep stuff there. You sure he didn't take any drugs or something when he had his ceremony?" Shikamaru asked as he sat up. Naruto just blankly stared at him. "Yeah stupid question!" Shikamaru said as he fell back on his back and went back to cloud watching.

"Oi, Naruto. What were you talking about the Jōnin ceremony for?" Uchiha Sasuke asked Naruto. He walked over to where Naruto was sitting.

Naruto really didn't feel like talking to his rival right now. "Sasuke, why do you want to know?" Naruto asked as he looked into Sasuke's dark charcoal eyes.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and had a slight smirk. "Why not?" he answered.

Naruto grew annoyed from the answer and smirk, it annoyed him more that all the fan-girls were swooning how cool he was.

' _Damn, I would love to bash him and his posse but that would be too annoying. And I need to keep my skills hidden,'_ Naruto thought internally. "Sorry Sasuke. I don't want to talk to you right now. And any way it's not like it involves you ttebayo," Naruto ended slowly.

Sasuke was getting irritated from Naruto's coldness, he was going to fight him but the bell rang. "Hn," he grunted as he walked to the academy with his hands dug deep into his pockets.

"Nicely handled Naruto. Too bad those girls haven't changed," Shikamaru sighed out.

"Yeah, Kotero-nii said something about that a while back while he was training me at some of the waterfalls," Naruto said.

"What did Kotero say Naruto?" Chōji asked, he and his father enjoy the redheads company as both parties have large appetites and Kotero complimented their raw strength _._

"It was really wise, Ah what was it again!" Naruto said while rubbing his temples. "It was like this generation, most of our generation don't understand the darkness that lurks over the world. The young today only bask in the light and when the dark horrors strike, this generation will be too weak to protect the next. Kotero-nii told me some of his past to further his point. He told me of the things he saw and the things that happened to his loved ones. His story got me so on edge that I cried for him," Naruto said sadly.

"What story is that?" Chōji asked.

"I'll betray his trust if I told you the story, so I won't. But I will tell you three things, it involved the death of his lover, how she died. And if you ever ask Kotero about that story, our friendship is over!" Naruto declared with ice-cold eyes, just thinking of the story made him want to cry.

Chōji and Shikamaru knew if Naruto said his brother's name without honorifics or didnt call him 'Nii-chan', it meant he was deadly serious. The love he had for his older brother was unbreakable.

"Ok, let's get to class, this has just gotten too grim for me," Shikamaru said as he tugged on Naruto's arm. The three boys went back to the classroom to finish their lessons. There was only one thought racing through Naruto's mind.

* * *

 **A couple hours before**

Kotero was waiting by the West gate of the Konoha perimeter, waiting for his team to arrive. He was getting impatient, he checked his equipment once more, he looked through all his pouches and checked his swords. ' _About the fifth time I checked now!'_ Kotero thought. He leaned against the gates and waited for his team. Kotero was early but it was coming close to leave and there was no sign of anybody.

A young woman, with charcoal hair and strange red eyes appeared in front of the red head. She wore red pants that ended before her ankles, a red sleeveless shinobi shirt with a small turtleneck and her Chūnin vest over it. Her forehead protector was worn on her forehead.

"Yo, you must be Yūhi Kurenai. I'm Uzumaki Kotero, lovely to meet ya!" Kotero introduced himself while putting his hand out to be shaken.

Kurenai shook the hand, "You're right, and I've heard many things about you Uzumaki-san," she said in a polite and friendly voice.

"Alright Kurenai, drop the honorifics, just call me Kotero. And what things have you heard?" Kotero asked. ' _Great more rumours!' he glumly thought._

"My mother told me about a handsome redhead that healed her leg after she fell on the street, and my roommate had a rant about a new Jōnin who annoyed her in less than a minute. You wouldn't happen to be the same person, Kotero-san?" Kurenai said.

"Yeah, guilty as charged," Kotero said as he put his hands up in a surrender gesture, "I couldn't leave that nasty gash on your mother, it could've got infected. And Anko tried to fluster me, I just didn't take it," Kotero stated.

"Thank you for healing my mother, I truly appreciate it Kotero-san," Kurenai happily said.

Izumo and Kotestu arrived, they looked at their captain and saw Kotero. He was now wearing a green and grey Jōnin jacket instead of his usual Chūnin jacket. "Kotero, when did you get promoted?" Izumo asked.

"Officially yesterday! Now that everyone is here, I'm going to go through the plan. We're travelling to the Land of Stone to open a new trade agreement for iron and other metals for our weapons. We're going to travel west, cross through the Land of Rivers and go through parts of the Land of Wind, we're allies so it'll be all good.

The Land of Earth and the Land of Stone are already trade partners so if we have any trouble it'll come from them. If this mission gets too dangerous, I'm calling it off and I'll tell Hokage-sama we have to try another time. Dying for this would be pointless. Now on the mission, call me Kotero-taichō or simply Taichō. I have the official document sealed in my pouch. I'll be on point, Izumo and Kotestu will be on left and right. Kurenai, you'll be on rear. Got it?," he asked. He then recieved a nod from all of them. "Great now let's get this show on the road," Kotero ordered.

The four ran out of the gates and got into their formation, they travelled at high speeds across the forests of the Land of Fire. After one day, they managed to get to the Land of rivers, they rested at the eastern border. They woke up at the crack of dawn and moved out, again moving at a high pace, they cross the western border of the Land of Rivers and enter the Land of Wind. They now travel Northwest to get to the Land of Stone. It would have saved the team some time if they could bypass through the Land of Rain, but any negotiations with the nation has been unsuccessful.

On the fourth day of travelling, they make it to the southern border of the Land of stone. Kotero sighed a breath of relief as they made it to the Daimyō's palace and exchange documents. Now he and his team must bring the response back home. As they were travelling back, they took a quick break. Izumo and Kotestu were talking about random things and their imaginations were going wild. Kotero was on a boulder, doing a short meditation session to calm his nerves. He didn't like the environment. It was rocky and there was little to none plant life, there were many caverns and cliffs. The southern wind coming from the Land of Wind made the air extremely dry.

' _Can't use water techniques well here, I knew I should have started my Wind Elemantal training!'_ Kotero begrudgingly thought.

"You alright Kotero-taichō?" Kurenai asked as she walked up to her superior.

"I'm good, but I've had an uneasy feeling for a while now. Like we're being watched," Kotero said until something shocked his body.

"Izumo, Kotestu, Kurenai! Jump back!" Kotero shouted. The three Chūnin were spooked by the sudden orders, but they complied and jumped back and landed at the same spot. Kotero jumped in front of them. "All thirty of you, it's rude not to say hello," Kotero said loudly.

Then thirty Iwa ninja and kunoichi made themselves known and one particular Iwa Jōnin jumped to the ground where the Konoha nin were. He was huge man, with a massive noise and wore a red Iwagakure forehead protector bandanna. Kotero knew who he was from the bingo books and the scroll the Hokage gave him. "Kitsuchi, son of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, what do I owe the pleasure?" Kotero said blankly.

Kitsuchi was already angry. "Shut it Konoha-nin, we already failed the first part of our mission to stop this trade deal. But we won't fail our next objective. To kill you!" he said with a hiss.

Kotero internally was thinking of ways to kill the Hokage once he gets back home, but first he needs to deal with the current problem. "Kill me? But what did I do to you?" Kotero teased.

"Don't play games, you know you stole our Daimyō's jewels. He wants your head or he'll cut our funding. We only just recovered from the last war. No way in hell you're getting away from us!" Kitsuchi gritted out.

Kotero analysed the situation, and there was a high possibility that they would all die. However, the Iwa shinobi only wanted his head. "Kurenai, you're the leader now. Report back to Hokage-sama about what happened. I'm staying back to save you guys time. They only want me dead. They don't need to kill you!" Kotero ordered as he threw the sealed scroll over his shoulder, Kurenai nabbed it from the air with ease.

"But Taichō!" She said, not wanting to leave a comrade to die.

"Don't worry, I have too much to live for. I won't die. **NOW GO!** " Kotero ordered out, his voice full of authority.

Kurenai, Izumo and Kotestu hesitated before flying off, leaving their superior behind. Kotero never left his eyes off Kitsuchi. He sensed that none of the other Iwa nin followed his team. ' _Good, they must want me to be really dead if they're not even pursuing them!'_ Kotero thought. He looked at all the nin in his visage, there were only twenty showing themselves completely and ten further back, behind some foliage.

Kotero knew that they would hunt him down if he ran away, the Iwa ninja are known for their tenacity when it comes to missions.

' _No way I'm letting them get the first move. There's only enough moisture here to do one large water jutsu. Fuck my life!'_ Kotero thought as he jumped back a couple feet.

Kotero then flashed through the hand seals from Tiger to Bird, weaving through fifteen hand seals in between in a blur. _' **Water release: Giant waterfall** ,'_ Kotero thought as he pulled on all the moisture in the air and soil surrounding him. The water pooled up around his body. Warping in a deadly fashion.

Kotero then shot out a huge volume of water, that was moving like a vortex towards the Iwa Ninja. The water was moving at incredible speeds. It crashed onto the cliff where some of the Iwa nin resided. It did major damage to the landscape but all the Iwa ninja came out of it unharmed.

A male Iwa ninja came flying through the air and had his kunai in hand, ready to stab the redheaded Uzumaki. Unlucky for him, Kotero took out Sapphire, channelled wind chakra to his blade and sliced the man in half from head to toe. The corpse travelled far behind Kotero, blood and internal organs spread across the ground.

"You monster!" one of the kunoichi screamed at Kotero and ran at him.

Kotero saw an opening and stabbed her in the gut with his hidden blade. "Sorry, but this is the world we live in. Kill or be killed," he said quietly as her consciousness began to fade away.

Kotero was scanning for his next enemy, but an Iwa ninja came at him with fists covered in rock armour. Kotero dodged the heavy strikes with grace, staying at the same speed as his opponent. He then saw an opening on the left side of ninja, he flashed and put him in an arm bar lock. He then proceeded to break the arm. The man screamed as Kotero quickly regained his stance and stabbed him through the ribcage with his hidden blade, piercing the enemy's heart.

Kotero sensed a chakra influx behind him. He saw two Iwa kunoichi slamming their hands to the ground " **Earth release: Earthen stone shoots** ," they said. Eight large spear shaped rocks jutted at Kotero.

Kotero quickly bent backwards. His shoulders touched the ground and his body was body was perfectly flat horizontally apart from Kotero bending his knees and feet, using chakra to control his position. The eight rock shoots collided with each other with impressive force.

' _They were aiming for my gut. If I didn't dodge I would have died right there!'_ Kotero thought quickly as he was looking for a way to get rid of the pesky Iwa girls.

Kotero saw that he was standing on the water from his last jutsu and now he knew what to do. He did the hand seal of tiger **'** _ **Water release: Water fang bullet** ,' _he thought. Kotero shot out two large water projectiles from his mouth with the aid of the water on the ground, that had a piercing end at the two kunoichi's chests. Both water bullets hit their targets and large holes can be found in the chest of the kunoichi. The kunoichi collapsed on the ground lifelessly and blood gushing out of their chests.

Three Iwa ninja appeared a distance away from Kotero. They flashed through the seals Horse-Dog-Bird-Ox-Snake and used **Earth release: Earth and stone dragon**. Three large mud and stone dragons came out of the ground and launched themselves at Kotero. Kotero feeling worried jumped back, the three dragons missed him.

The dragons on the left and right threw themselves at Kotero at incredible speeds. Kotero didn't know what he could do, he didn't have any lighting jutsu or knew how to even use the element. He knew he could always rely on his two katana, he unsheathed Rubí and Sapphire and channelled his wind chakra through them. As the dragons were too close for comfort, Kotero swung his blades at them, destroying them. Mud and gravel flying everywhere.

Kotero breathed a sigh of relief but it was too early for that. He saw the third dragon approach him, and the Iwa ninja going through the hand seals Ram-Horse-Dragon and used **Earth release:** **Earth dragon bullet**. The dragon opened its mouth and shot tens of mud bullets at Kotero.

Kotero was surprised by the turn of events but experience brought him back into the flow. He began dodging the projectiles, however he lost focus when one grazed his right elbow. Then a mud bullet hit his upper chest and left shoulder. The force made Kotero fly back towards the wall. He readjusted mid-air and landed on the wall with his feet. He looked at the corner of his eye and saw that the flak jacket took most of the damage but there was bleeding on his shoulder.

' _Fuck, these guys are really good! I could die at any moment. I have to unlock my seals now,'_ Kotero internally shouted

He formed a one-handed ram seal and shouted "Kai."

The Iwa ninja thought there was explosive tags around them, so they jumped back, however, there were no explosions. They saw the red-haired Jōnin on the wall with a strange pattern on his skin glowing a faint blue colour then dissipating.

Kotero gripped his Katana and dashed in a blur towards the three ninja that caused him so much trouble. As Kotero got close enough, he dragged his foot into the ground and swept it up at the enemies. A dust cloud came and obstructed the enemie's vision. Kotero then danced around them with his swords. Large slit marks appeared on their throats and they became blood fountains. Kotero didn't want to get any blood on him, flashed a distance away from the scene with a body-flicker.

The enemies were getting infuriated by this. A kunoichi and male ninja lost their composure and jumped on Kotero, attacking from behind. Kotero waited for the last moment, they were now only two feet away from his back. He channelled wind chakra down his blades and then did swung his katanas around, turning in a 180 degree turn and swinging his swords in a large arc. His swords picked up the air while they were coming to their targets. Kotero sliced through their guts, nearly splitting them in half. The wind that was picked up pushed the flying dead corpses across the battleground. Spreading the red metallic liquid across the scene.

Four more ninja made their way to the Uzumaki. All with kunai and shuriken in hand. They threw the shuriken at the same time, trying to make an opening on Kotero so they can kill him once and for all.

Kotero tightened his grip on his Katana, trusting his blades, he twirled on his feet and deflected the shuriken. A Iwa nin used a small earth jutsu to disrupt Kotero's footing. Kotero jumped directly towards one of the four, the one farthest from the main pack. He stabs him in the gut with Sapphire and then slices out, exiting through the body near the hip. He then threw the body into the middle of the three remaining nin to distract them. He quickly threw his swords in the air, only above his head.

He reached then in his right pouch to grab senbon needles. Kotero swiftly fires them at their necks to disable their movement. He got two out of three as the farthest ninja had time to react and deflect it. Kotero sprinted back to the three, grabbing his swords from the air.

Kotero speedily slit the throats of the two disabled, and put pressure on the remaining nin with his 'Swirling Blade' sword style. The ninja had difficulty dealing with two fast swords, when he tried to get a second kunai to help protect himself with, he was stabbed in the shoulder and received a large cut on his left thigh. The Iwa nin screamed in pain, Kotero had the mercy to end his pain by stabbing his sword into the man's heart.

Kotero flicked the blood off his blades and looked at the remaining ninja. There was sixteen left, which included Kitsuchi, who would be much more difficult than the other ninja he's been dealing with so far.

' _Halfway now. I'm still good on chakra. God, I hope they get the message and leave me the hell alone, they already lost half their men, there's no need for more pointless death,'_ Kotero thought with sorrow.

Kitsuchi was furious that half of his ninja squad died the way they did. ' _How the fuck does Konoha keep getting these ninja!?'_ he thought angrily as he bit his lip.

Kitsuchi then gathered his chakra and clapped his hands together and thrusted them to the ground. _' **Earth release: Mobile core** ,'_ Kitsuchi thought as his hands dug into the ground. A large square appeared around Kotero and began to sink down. Kotero was going to jump up but the remaining group of Iwa ninja did multiple earth jutsu where stones pelted down to Kotero, the walls closing in on him and spears jutting out of the closing walls. Kotero was certain there was no out. He was going to die.

 **CRACK!**

Kotero looked around to hear multiple cracks coming from all different directions. The walls were collapsing in on each other and the ground he was standing on completely gave way.

' _Shit, the ground is collapsing in on itself,'_ Kotero screamed internally.

Next thing he knew he was falling down. Faster and faster until he plunged into icy cold water. His body was shocked from the turn of events, but he needed air. He struggled to swim up, his head popped out of the water and he gasped for air. He looked over to his shoulder that was hit by a mud bullet not so long ago, has now dislocated and had a huge gash on it. Blood was seeping into the crystal-clear water. He stayed there for a few seconds until he realized that the pain was becoming unbearable and he was soaking wet to the bone.

He swam out to the end of the under-water lake. There were faint lights all over the cavern. Similar stones he used in the Uzumaki bunker, were part of the rock. He breathed deeply as he got onto the rough ground. He picked himself up and grunted with every step. He travelled to the rock wall, rested his back on it and slid down. He took out a scroll from one of his pouches and unsealed it. A new dry uniform appeared in a puff of smoke.

"So hard to see down here, I need my medical supply scroll," Kotero whispered to himself. He found a thick scroll with his functioning hand and pulled it out. It had a green back and the Kanji for medicine was written on the side. Sighing in relief, he opened the scroll and unsealed the supplies. A tray filled with medical equipment such as scalpels and other metal tools appeared. As well a box with a big red plus sign on it filled with bandages and anti-infectants. He cut the part of his left sleeve that covered his left shoulder and put the dirty fabric in a small plastic bag that came with the supplies.

He took out a wipe to clean off the blood. "FUCK!" Kotero hissed quietly, the stinging pain was a bit too much for him. He then put his right hand up to his shoulder and green chakra glowed from his hand. The muscles were stitching themselves back to together and the skin was closing around the wound once the sides was close enough to each other. He then wrapped bandages around the closed wound, better safe than sorry in these situations.

Kotero then popped back his shoulder, the pain was manageable as he only grunted at that. He used a diagnostic chakra scan over his shoulder to check for any broken bone fragments or broken veins. Surprisingly, he was all good. Kotero changed his upper body clothing with the spare set. He put the torn and bloody flak jacket, black shinobi shirt and his red and black Uzumaki thin sleeve-less jacket back onto the storage seal and sealed it away. Kotero then cleaned up his medical supplies and proceeded to seal it as well.

Now Kotero had to get the hell out of this unknown cavern with a huge lake. He knew his enemies would have fallen as well. He sensed for any chakra signatures, he was struggling for a bit until he found a cluster of about eight, and the familiar signature of Kitsuchi.

' _Seemed eight of their own died in that crazy jutsu storm they did, and the ground collapsing didn't help either. Why are they so far away though?'_ Kotero thought.

Kotero was going to go and finish the job of eliminating his assassins but he needed a plan on the best course of action. He got into his meditating pose and cleared his mind. ' _Hope I can do something good quick! Naruto will kill me if I die here! I really can die here at any moment…'_ he thought as he began formulating his plan.

* * *

 **A few days later**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was doing some late-night paperwork, in his office. The mountain of paper work has now only turned to a few sheets of paper. He was feeling good all day. He was smoking on his pipe, he noticed it was getting empty. As he was going to refill it, there was a knock on the door. ' _Every time!'_ the old man thought as he put the pipe down. "Enter," he said a bit begrudgingly.

Kurenai, Izumo and Kotestu entered the room. The Hokage noticed the worried faces of his ninja and the lack of his favourite redhead. "What happened?" he demanded in a quiet but powerful voice.

"Mission was successful, Hokage-sama. We got the trade deal and on our way back," Kurenai glumly said as she put the Daimyō's letter on the desk. "We were ambushed by Iwa ninja," She said as she got back in line with the other Chūnin.

The Hokage was annoyed now, he filled his pipe and began smoking again to calm his nerves. "What happened to Kotero?" he asked, clearly he wanted the answer straight away.

"He ordered us to go to Konoha. He said if we stayed we would die and they were only targeting him, so he made us go back. I didn't want to leave but he said there were thirty in the group. The main leader, Kitsuchi, the son of the Tsuchikage, was talking about Kotero's mission where he stole those prized jewels and the Earth Daimyō being mad at this and ordered his head or the village would have their funding cut. I think he assumed they were a full Jōnin and chūnin squad," Kurenai reported.

Hiruzen was now regretting sending Kotero on that mission. He was naïve to think something like this wouldn't happen. "Do you think Kotero would survive?" he asked, beginning to believe he lost a good ninja and friend, he even considered the redhead like a grandson since he was Naruto's brother and they spend so much time talking to each other.

Izumo then spoke up, "He said before we left that he had too much to live for. And he's the strongest guy Kotestu and I know. I believe he'll come back!" he said, brimming with confidence. Kotestu just nodded, agreeing with his best friend.

"What about you Kurenai?" Hiruzen asked her. She seemed to be the most level-headed out of the bunch in front of him.

She stayed silent for a while before speaking up. "Asuma and Kakashi wouldn't stop talking about how great he is. I hope he comes back," Kurenai said, she wouldn't declare her belief like the two others did.

Hiruzen just nodded, having doubts of his own. He then sighed and stood up from his chair. "Dismissed and I want a full report tomorrow. The council will want to hear about this!" He said as he walked to the door and left with the three Chūnin.

Locking the door behind him, he left the tower, instead of going home he went to Kotero and Naruto's residence. After a few minutes of waling he made it to the front door. He then proceeded to knock on it three times. He waited for a little while and was going to knock it again, but the door opened, revealing Naruto.

"Jiji? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, as the Hokage hasn't visited Naruto since he moved out of his run-downed apartment.

"Can I come in?" the Hokage asked.

"Of course Jiji! Go in the living room, I was just making tea," Naruto said as he ran back to the kitchen. The Hokage closed the front door and walked into the spectacular house that the Uzumaki brothers lived in. He went into the living room and sat on one end of the couch. He saw on the coffee table some fūinjutsu textbooks and some intermediate level seals.

Naruto brought over two cups of tea, one for each. Hiruzen smiled and gladly accepted the steamy hot beverage.

"I see you're working on fūinjutsu Naruto, I'm glad that you're working on a lost art!" Hiruzen said.

Naruto beamed at the comment, "Nii-chan said I improved astronomically recently and gave me some advanced stuff to learn. He said he was so proud of me ttebayo!" Naruto said with a huge smile.

The Hokage looked crestfallen from the comment, what he was going to say next was going to break Naruto's heart. He was contemplating on not telling Naruto yet, but he couldn't lie to the boy anymore. "Naruto, I got some bad news," Hiruzen said in a serious voice.

Naruto looked at the Hokage with a questioning look. "What's wrong Jiji? I haven't done a prank in like a month dattebayo! What happened?" Naruto asked in his own serious voice.

"Something bad happened on Kotero's latest mission," Hiruzen confessed.

Naruto's whole demeanour tensed up. His eyes widened at the mention of his older brother. "What happened to Nii-chan?" Naruto demanded quietly.

Hiruzen didn't want to say the next words, but he had to. For Naruto's sake. "Kotero's team were ambushed by thirty assumed Jōnin and Chūnin from Iwagakure, and he ordered his team to return to Konoha without him. He hasn't returned himself," Hiruzen said sadly.

"Are you saying Nii-chan is dead?" Naruto asked in a whisper, not believing the words that left the Hokage's mouth.

"No, I'm not. Kotero is one of the village's strongest ninja already. It would take a lot to take him down. But thirty ninja is a big force. My sensei, the Nidaime died by numbers similar to that, however they were all well-reknowned shinobi. Let's just hope he returns," Hiruzen said as he finished his tea. He then looked at Naruto, he was truly troubled by the appearance of Naruto. Naruto looked like all his spirit was sucked out of him.

"They helped destroy my ancestral home and now they're trying to kill the one good thing that happened to my life," Naruto said lifelessly.

"Naruto, he could still be alive. You know better than anyone how strong he is. And the love he has for you, it will keep his own will in check as he tries to get home!" Hiruzen reassuringly to Naruto, trying to believe his own words.

Naruto wiped his face, his sleeve soaked from his own tears. "He'll come back. Nii-chan won't die!" Naruto said confidently, only doing this to mask his doubt.

The Hokage smiled but knew Naruto was putting up an act. "Good. I should take my leave. I've had a busy day and we both ned a good-nights rest," The old man said as he got up and left the house, leaving Naruto alone.

Naruto ran up this room and jumped on his bed, his body sunk into the mattress and his head dug itself into his pillow. He cried to sleep, having difficulty accepting the fact that his older brother was most likely dead. ' _Why?'_ was all he thought throughout the night.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	5. Chapter 5 - Rest in Peace

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto._** _ **All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 5 - Rest in Peace**

 **Land of Stone**

In the deep underground caverns found in the Land of Stone, filled with glowing stones and freshwater lakes. Kotero was stealthy moving towards the remaining Iwa ninja that fell to the cavern as well. Kotero was pissed off, he knew this mission smelt bad from the start, but he didn't want to disappoint the Hokage.

All Kotero wanted now was to go home and sleep in his wonderful bed. There was only one thing stopping him, these annoying yet resourceful Iwa ninja were truly making his life hell.

Kotero ventured deeper into the caverns. He noticed on the walls some ancient obscure markings. He just ignored them for now, he had an important objective to accomplish, not become an archaeologist!

Kotero was now a hundred metres away from the group of Iwa nin. He saw the eight were close to each other, the whole room was covered in darkness, Kotero only knew where he was going because of the locations of the chakra and moving slowly to them, feeling out his way.

Kotero wanted to be efficient, he only had one chance at this. He made seven shadow clones. The seven shadow clones already knew the plan since they were just duplicates of the original. They started to climb the wall and ceiling of the cavern, until they were directly above their targets. The original Kotero crouched and moved silently towards the group, suppressing his chakra.

Virtually becoming invisible. As he was only twenty metres away, he could hear chattering from the Iwa group. They were debating if they should continue the mission or abandon it. Kotero heard mutterings from the subordinates and the veterans saying that they would continue.

Kotero focused his gaze on the group. ' _This is the cue!_ ' he thought as he put his right arm up and then gave a thumbs up at the group.

The shadow clones who were focusing on the original saw the signal, and jumped down. It was too late for the Iwa nin as the shadow clones grappled onto them and stabbed them in various places such as the back of the heart, liver, head and the general torso region with their hidden blades.

Kitsuchi was the only one left untouched as he saw his squad killed in front of his eyes. The seven shadow clones jumped of their target's backs and bodies and ran at Kitsuchi. Kitsuchi was spooked and had a hard time dealing with seven opponents.

Suddenly, they all puffed out of existence. Kitsuchi naively thought he did something to kill them and breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he didn't have to fight in near complete darkness anymore.

However, this didn't last a second as the original Kotero came in and arm barred Kitsuchi's right arm, hanging off the floor on the larger man. Using some of his chakra enhanced strength, he broke Kitsuchi's arm and proceeded to smack his large nose with a right kick to the face, breaking it soundly. A large cracking noise of the nasal bone breaking apart was heard.

Kitsuchi screamed and then groaned in pain, two quick hard attacks in two different places was not a nice experience.

Kotero didn't let up, no way he was going to let the huge man have any advantage over him. Kotero flashed in front of Kitsuchi and gave a spinning kick at Kitsuchi's left wrist, breaking it. He finished the job by elbowing the man in the gut. Kitsuchi flew into the wall and slid down, coughing up blood.

Kotero dusted himself off and walked over to the large man. He then knelt about five metres away, to make sure he can react to any tricks Kitsuchi might do in his broken state. The man was a strong ninja for Iwagakure, there was no way in hell that Kotero was going to give the veteran any chance to kill him.

Kitsuchi could see a small outline of Kotero, he was confused on why he wasn't dead yet. "Why haven't you killed me?" he asked.

Kotero stayed silent, thinking of a suitable answer. "I don't want to start a war. You're the Tsuchikage's son. I wouldn't be surprised if Ōnoki declared war on Konoha because I killed you. I didn't like killing your squad members, but they were sent on a presumed S-rank mission to kill me. Some deaths are expected. But if you died, more politics would be in play and in our fucked-up world, war could come. That is one thing I don't want to see. My father died protecting myself and my mother during the third great Shinobi war. I don't want more death between our nations because I killed you," Kotero said solemnly.

Kitsuchi breathed heavily, the intense pain coursing all through his body. He coughed another small bit of blood, it dripped down his lip. "You took out my whole squad! And you're leaving me alive because I'm related to the leader of my village. All because you want to avoid war?" He hoarsely said

"Yes. Twenty-nine of your squad have died already. Let's not make it thirty. Your legs still work, but you need medical care for both your arms. If war came between our nations and villages, a lot more would die, even the young children, academy students and the normal villagers would be in danger. Hm, the exit is close, I feel the air currents coming from that large hole there," Kotero said with a neutral tone and a point of the finger.

Kotero stood up and unsealed some supplies. He took a small flashlight and threw it near Kitsuchi. "This will help you leave. Tell your father, the Tsuchikage that if he ever sends another assassination squad after me or disrupts my life in a bad way again, I'll make Iwagakure's life hell!" Kotero declared with power and authority in his voice. "Now go home. Or I'll kill you now!" Kotero hissed out.

Kotero then left Kitsuchi to his own musing as he delved deeper into the caverns. Kitsuchi got up and tried grabbing the flashlight with his left hand, struggling in sheer pain with the broken wrist. Luckily as he grabbed it, he turned it on and he quickly put it in his mouth. There the hulking figure lead himself out the caverns and went on his way home, to inform his father on what transpired there.

* * *

 **Konoha**

The day was cloudy and dull in Konoha, for the first time in weeks, there was heavy rain. The children of the academy were under the shelters in the courtyard, sitting on the benches and tables. A small blond boy had his head resting between his arms on the table as he was sitting on the bench.

"Naruto, stop being so sad, you don't know if he's dead," Shikamaru said, trying to cheer up his friend. He heard the report from his father and was shocked to hear that Kotero had to face thirty Jōnin.

Chōji was sitting beside Shikamaru, keeping quiet. He has been silent since he heard from Naruto his older brother's predicament. Not knowing what to say, he left the cheering up to Shikamaru.

"Hm, I don't know if he's coming back or his dead body is all alone?" Naruto said sadly, not moving his head from his arms. Secretly trying not to tear up again.

Iruka couldn't help but hear his little blond student as he passed by. When he looked at Naruto, he became very worried. "Naruto, what's wrong?" he asked sincerely, sitting beside the little knucklehead.

Naruto just mumbled out, no words that came out of his mouth made sense to anyone's ears. Iruka grew even more concerned and then looked at Chōji and Shikamaru, they also wore sad expressions on their faces. "Naruto, please talk to me. I'm here for you!" Iruka comforted Naruto.

Naruto brought his head up and looked at Iruka with slightly puffed out eyes. "Nii-chan could be dead!" Naruto quietly said so only Iruka could hear.

"Nii-chan?" Iruka asked quietly, never hearing Naruto mention anything about an older brother. He read in Naruto's profile that he was a single orphan.

"Kotero-nii! He was sent on a mission and he was ambushed by a group of thirty Jōnin and Chūnin. The leader of the group was like the son of the Tsuchikage. He fought them all alone and he could be dead! Hokage-Jiji even came to my house last night to tell me!" Naruto whispered out but Iruka could hear all the words.

Iruka was shocked for two reasons. Hearing that Kotero fought thirty Jōnin, and he was the older brother to Naruto. He heard his mission successes from the other Chūnin and sometimes saw a redhead going through the village in the last six months. Iruka didn't know what to say, thirty against one were terrible odds, even for someone like one of the Sannin. Iruka started to rub Naruto's back as Naruto went back into the fold of his arms. He knew there were no words to comfort him right now. Eventually the bell ringed and the students went back inside. Naruto wiped his wet eyes and went back in with Iruka and his two friends.

' _Nii-chan, please come back!'_ Naruto thought.

* * *

 **Mysterious caverns**

"Woah look at this!" Kotero excitedly said as he flashed his own flashlight at some engravings on the cave walls. "Oh yeah, it's just me," Kotero said disappointedly.

Kotero had a fresh note book and his pen, sketching some of the things he encountered when he observed the walls and stones. There were many random letters, if he had to assume, on them.

' _Must be an ancient or different language, I don't recognise any of the text!'_ he thought. He wrote down all the "letters" he could find. He was getting more and more interested into this, ' _I can't wait to do a bit of research on this!'_ he internally squealed like a schoolgirl.

As he was getting deeper and deeper into the cavern, until the tunnel now become a corridor. Kotero was on high ground so he jumped down, landing on a smooth stone floor. It had intricate patterns that looked aesthetically pretty. The beige cream stone floor with the dark forest green patterns was very appealing to the Uzumaki. Kotero looked at the walls and saw the same style text that he was writing in his note book.

"Must be some sort of alphabet, but what does it mean?" he asked himself. The walls were a deep navy black and the engravings had some white paint coloured inside, the contrast made it easy to read it. He took down the supposed 'sentences' into his notebook. Kotero was constantly comparing it to Kanji but there were no similarities at all. He spent around an hour taking down four whole blocks of black stone that were in the walls that had the strange text. He sighed as he felt his right wrist cramping up.

He sat down on a nearby rock and unsealed some meal provisions. "Hm, sushi isn't really mission food, but I had a shit day, so I can treat myself!" Kotero said happily, eating sushi instead of the usual meal rations kit. He chewed on the last piece of the tray and took out a bottle of water and gulped it down. "So refreshing!" he said, contemplating if he himself was going crazy. He sealed the rubbish back and put the storage scroll away in his pouch.

Kotero got to his feet and walked down to this large opening that was at the end of the corridor.

He looked through it and saw a descending set of stairs, going down far as he could only see darkness beyond a few metres. He saw on both sides of the staircase that there was a channel and water was flowing down them at a quick pace. "This place had a water system deep underground. Who built this place and who were these people? Jeez so many questions and nobody to tell me the answers!" Kotero complained, moving his fingers through his red hair.

He sighed deeply and began to go down. As he was descending, he noticed with his flash light of large pictures engraved into the walls, some were covered in webs and dust but there were so many. It seemed that they depicted battles and stages through history. The most significant pictures were of men fighting large scaled beasts.

It was one of the coolest things Kotero saw in his entire life. He made it to the bottom of what he could only call the "staircase of epic art" and another view blew his mind. He entered this huge open space, light was illuminating all around him by large glowing stones, the size of small buildings, they were in the walls and ceiling of the space.

Water was spewing out of the side walls and flowed down to the ground like waterfalls. Kotero was wondering how this space wasn't brimmed with water, but he saw two large mouths letting the water flow out slowly from both ends of the room.

Kotero was currently standing on a bridge that resided in the middle of the room. He knew he had to use a chakra enhanced jump to get to either of the side walls. This room, no not room, a grand hall of stone and water, was one of the most beautiful sights he has ever seen. He looked at the ceiling and saw strange mosses and plants he has never seen before.

"I wonder if they have any medicinal purposes?" Kotero wondered out loud. He walked across the long stone bridge, it was about twenty metres from the bottom surface of the hall and the ceiling was another ten metres above. He was walking for a while and was thinking if he accidently tripped a genjutsu trap. He sensed his chakra system and felt nothing wrong. He shrugged and continued his walk, he was going to check his chakra system again until something caught his eye. There was a stone staircase at the end of the bridge. His built up anxiousness disappeared.

Kotero was excited and walked ahead, feeling he made some progress. Kotero made it to the start of the staircase, he climbed up and up, getting a bit of a sweat from all this step-climbing, it didn't help this ancient structure had no ventilation apart from a few holes. The walls were similar as there were many pieces of art depicting on the history of this ancient place and its people.

When Kotero was near the end of the stairs, he noticed the walls showing the figures of men spewing fire and what seemed like wind blasts. "Must be showing me elemental jutsu. There hasn't been any mention of chakra before this though. Hm, how old were these people?" Kotero questioned.

He whipped out his notebook and sketched the picture and the writing beside it. Making a note on the strange techniques. He saw more of these scaled creatures around the walls. "Are they snakes? No, snakes don't have horns or claws. There hasn't been any mention of animals with these features I believe. Maybe it's a summon… But there hasn't been a drake contract in history supposedly! Hm, maybe these were ancient creatures gone extinct or the famous sage Snake summons… I need to find the answers. This is too interesting!" Kotero said, trying to solve the puzzle of whatever this was with incomplete answers.

Kotero sighed and climbed the rest of the stairs. He reached the top and walked into a corridor that was like the first corridor he entered. Instead of the stones with the strange text on it being black with white writing, this was the opposite.

"Is this marble?" Kotero then rubbed his hand across the rough surface.

"No, it isn't, but it isn't limestone or any other white rock I have seen or felt before. Its emitting some strange aura. And the writing is black this time. Hm, better write all this down, this could be important," Kotero said as he proceeded to write down all the text on the white stone blocks that resided in the walls.

It took an hour like last time, Kotero wiped a bead of sweat that was trickling down the side of his forehead. He then went to the end of the corridor to find another staircase. "What the hell is this place, it's like a labyrinth," Kotero complained.

Kotero began to climb again, but he only had to climb a short bit. He entered a large room that was circular in shape, moss and vines covering the walls and ceiling. He saw in front of his eyes was alter. It had a large stone backdrop with three large scaled reptile's heads with horns going behind it's ears. The heads were all merged together, six arms were shown and they were in pairs. Kotero had the sense of déjà vu, but he knew he hasn't seen anything like this before. Regardless, all all the stonework created a scary image.

Under the head, was similar text to what he found all throughout the ruins and cavern. What really took his eye was a scaled necklace, blue in colour and light reflecting brightly off it despite its age. Kotero inspected it with great interest and then tied it around his neck

"Nice necklace and all, but I expected something grander. I don't know like a treasure chest briimed with gold and jewels. This thing must be worth a lot if it's the only thing here. At least it looks and feels amazing," Kotero said. "Ancient power? I can feel something from it. It feels like home for some reason."

Kotero dusted himself off after he oogled his new necklace. He looked around and saw there was nothing left to investagate.

"Let's see, I left Konoha around five days ago. My team will be back in around two or three days. I should follow suit and get to Konoha. Jiji will send an ANBU search team for me or my body, depending if the old coot thinks I'm dead. This is it for this ruin. I doubt there is anything else of value here. I should just get the hell out of here!" Kotero said with a huff.

Kotero just sighed deeply and ran out, hoping to get home as soon as possible.

* * *

 **Konoha**

The east end of the academy grounds laid the training dummies and targets for shurikenjutsu. The clouds were darkening as evening rolled in. The grounds were empty apart from one small child exerting his frustrations and worry over a figurine of wood and straw. Light rain dripped from the darkish blueish clouds.

Naruto was punching and kicking the dummy with tight clenched fists, his eyes were sealed shut. He has been pummelling the dummy for twenty minutes. Nobody was around to watch him. They all went home since the academy classes were over and the weather was becoming dreadful.

Naruto stopped and gasped for air. He bent forward slightly and put his hands on his knees. Only then he opened his eyes to see the damage he has caused to his own body. Naruto saw cuts and bruises all over his hands and arms. Looking down at his shins, he saw that he had cut some of his ninja trousers with the dummy. His vision was blurred because he had watery eyes. However, Naruto's eyes were not like this because of the rain.

No, his eyes were watery because of the immense worry that flowed through his body. Naruto never had to worry for anyone before, but now the most important person in his life now could be dead and he would never know.

Just thinking about it made him angry. Naruto punched the dummy hard with a right punch and then quickly did a high left kick aimed at the dummy's head to finish his one-two combo. Naruto scrunched his face as he felt the pain on his ankle, fist and right wrist. He dropped to his rear and started to breathe raggedly. This was his only true break from his barrage of melee attacks on the worn-down dummy.

Naruto looked to his right and saw bits of wood and cloth that were like the ones on the dummy. He then looked up the dummy he was using and saw that he broke off the top with his kick.

The dummy's structure already being weakened by his strikes and kicks. His training has paid off as the dummies were designed to withstand Genin attacks, so academy students could go as powerful as they want and not break them. The top part breaking showed that Naruto was physically stronger than all his classmates, however he wasn't happily thinking about. His mind was blank from the constant worry he has put himself through in the last few hours.

"At least I'm getting stronger… Nobody else could do that," Naruto commented. He then ran his hand and fingers through his soaked hair and flicked off the water.

Naruto sighed as he went to wrap himself in his arms. More bruises were forming on his arms and legs. "My form must have been off…" he said glumly.

He stayed there for another ten minutes before standing up and dusting himself off. Naruto cursed under his breath, he now knew that the bottom of his legs and his rear were wet. Naruto just bit his lower lip and went towards his house. Digging his hands deep into his pockets, he brooded as he walked. Naruto turned left once he left the academy grounds.

"Where do you think you're going mister?" a familiar voice said from behind Naruto's ears.

Naruto was about to turn around to see who was calling him but didn't have the chance. "Owowowowowowow!" he cried out as he felt his ear being pulled hard. Naruto was being dragged away against his own will. He could only hear a womanly snicker, but he couldn't get a good look on his attacker.

* * *

 **Hokage Tower**

"Why haven't you send a search team or aid Tou-san?" Asuma asked the Hokage with an angry but controlled voice.

"Because I have faith that Kotero will come back to us," Hiruzen replied, trying to believe his own words.

"But Hokage-sama, a group comprised of thirty Jōnin and Chūnin and one of them being the Tsuchikage's son are horrible odds. I doubt either Asuma or I could beat them all and come home without some sort of injury," Kakashi said from the wall he was leaning on.

Hiruzen massaged his temples, for the last fifteen minutes, both his son and Kakashi have been berating him to look for Konoha's favourite redhead. It's been nine days since the mission and there has been no sight of the redhead. Naruto has been depressed since he received the news that Kotero could have died and he has lost all focus on the academy and his own work according to Iruka. The Naras and the Akimichis also have requested to look for him.

Only now has Hiruzen realized how important Kotero was to Konoha.

Hiruzen stood from his seat and looked out to the village. Dark clouds have been covering the village since Kotero's team returned from their mission. "If he doesn't come back tonight. I'll send a team to look for him," he said to his two Jōnin.

Asuma and Kakashi both relaxed slightly hearing something was going to be done. They both looked at each other and nodded. "Hokage-sama, one of us would like to lead the mission, if not both," Kakashi stated.

Hiruzen thought about it. "I'll have Kakashi on the mission because his summons can track him down. If he comes up with nothing, I'll let another search party go and Asuma will lead it," he declared.

Both Jōnin smiled slightly at this and bowed respectfully to their leader. They both left after and went down to the bar, across from the Hokage tower. They both ordered sake and brought it over to a booth where both sat. They poured themselves some of the alcohol into the saucers and began to drink it, stressed over their missing friend.

"Do you think Kotero is still alive?" Kakashi asked, looking glum as he dipped his pinkie into his sake saucer.

Asuma didn't say anything, he took his saucer and had his shot of sake quick. It slid down his throat. "I want him to. I love the guy. It'll be shit around here without him," Asuma replied glumly.

Kakashi closed his lone eye and sighed sadly, "I don't want to lose another friend," He said.

"It's not like Obito or Rin, Kakashi. These are different times. And don't blame yourself for any of this!" Asuma said sternly, knowing of Kakashi's many visits to his past friend's graves and the memorial stone.

"It was though, if I did a better job on our last mission. He wouldn't be targeted right now," Kakashi whispered out, only loud enough for Asuma to hear.

Asuma got a bit mad at Kakashi's tenderness that he's displaying. "Kotero wouldn't want you like this. He only wanted us to be happy!" Asuma said as nicely as he could, trying to reassure the copy-nin.

"Oi, Asuma and Kakashi. Do you know why Nee-chan is so gloomy? She won't even talk to me. And why do you guys look so dead?" Anko asked as she brought over a bottle of sake and a plate of dango, she then sat beside Asuma.

Asuma and Kakashi gave her strange looks for a second before remembering Kurenai was on Kotero's team. Asuma spoke up, "Kurenai was on a mission and it didn't go well."

Anko was a little confused and annoyed by the vagueness by Asuma's answer. "Care to elaborate Asuma!" she said in an overly sweet voice.

Kakashi decided to butt in, "On their way back from the Land of Stone, Kurenai's team were ambushed by thirty Iwa Jōnin. They only wanted the leader's head, which was Kotero," he said with some depression in his voice.

Anko was shocked when she heard this. "Thirty Jōnin? What the hell happened?" she asked loudly.

"Kotero ordered the team to return home while he stays back and saves them time. He didn't want them to die for him," Asuma said in a solemn voice.

Anko was speechless at this. "Is he crazy! There's no way he could beat thirty Jōnin by himself. Is he trying to go for the glory?" Anko asked, then realizing what she just said was probably one of the stupidest things she has ever done in her life.

Asuma and Kakashi immediately glared at her, staring daggers at her from the jab she put on their most likely dead friend.

"What the hell is your problem!? He sacrificed himself so Kurenai and the others can come home safe and you have the audacity to insult him. He knew they could all die, so he gave his team a chance. Anko just go, you're really pissing me off now!" Asuma blurted out, pouring another saucer. Kakashi would have said something similar but he would just be adding to the fire.

Anko received the message loud and clear and completely understood she crossed the line. She left with her things and left the two men to wallow.

Asuma sighed and rubbed his face, "Did I go too far?" he asked his silver haired friend.

Kakashi shook his head. "I was going to say something similar. I don't think she meant to say that though. She doesn't know Kotero and how close we are to him. But it doesn't help she's like that with most things," Kakashi said as he put his head down.

Asuma took out a cigarette and lit it with his silver lighter, "I'm not going to apologize to her though. She had it coming. Just hoping now that she won't push us away," Asuma reflected.

"If Kotero could remove that seal, I'd say we'd have a much nicer Anko," Kakashi said to Asuma.

Asuma and Kakashi stayed at the bar until the end of the day, drinking and eventually getting food. Their faces and bodies sagging and getting heavier as their sadness and worry grew.

* * *

 **The Nara Compound**

"Naruto-kun, don't be so sad, Kotero-kun could be coming home at this very moment," Nara Yoshino said as she pulled out of her hug to the depressed Naruto.

Naruto was dragged back to the Nara compound by Shikamaru's mother after she heard from her son how the blond Uzumaki has been acting since he heard the news of his older brother. Naruto was going to go home and brood after his 'taijutsu training' but was dragged by the ear to her house.

"Hm, but Yoshino-kaasan, it was a group of thirty Jōnin and Chūnin, I'd say Hokage-Jiji would struggle with that!" Naruto replied glumly. His hair covering his eyes as he put his head down.

Shikamaru didn't know what to say as he sat across from his friend and mother. Anything that would come out of his mouth would most likely make Naruto more depressed. He decided to stay silent and leave it up to his troublesome mother.

Yoshino internally squealed when she was referred to the blonde's mother. However, this is not the moment to squeeze Naruto to death. "Maybe Kotero-kun can handle it. Nobody knows how strong he is, not even you or the Hokage!" She said reassuringly to Naruto.

Naruto just rested his head on Yoshino's chest, and closed his eyes tightly, trying not to cry again. He then mumbled something under his breath. Yoshino didn't hear what he said exactly but she had an idea of what it was about. Yoshino then hugged Naruto in a motherly fashion and kissed his head.

Shikamaru felt awkward, but then suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He gasped quietly and looked behind him, his neck spinning so fast it could have broken itself. There he saw the scarred face of his father.

Shikaku tugged on his shoulder lightly and went out of the room, motioning his son to follow suit. Shikamaru sighed in relief and followed his father, making sure he was as quiet as possible, not to disturb his mother and his best friend's sensitive embrace.

Shikaku lead his son to the room where they play shogi. He sat at one end and pointed at the other side. Shikamaru obliged and sat down hastily, a total contradiction to his usual actions. The board was already set.

Shikamaru knew this wasn't going to be a serious game, it will be one to put his mind off his friend's despair.

Shikaku got the ball rolling, "How long has Naruto been like that?" he asked his son.

Shikamaru moved his piece and then looked at his father, "Ever since he heard the news from the Hokage. When he came in yesterday to the academy, he was like a completely different person. He barely talked and when he did he was so quiet," he said grimly.

Shikaku just nodded slightly, "I don't blame him. Kotero was the first real family he has ever met. He also changed Naruto's life in the village and believed in him. Naruto probably thought his older brother was invincible," Shikaku stated in his usual gruff voice.

"Chōji really liked him, they would always debate on different foods and stuff. And I liked him because he wasn't an idiot. He was cool and treated us as equals and he told us all the stories of his missions. It was really exciting to hear about what crazy thing happened next," Shikamaru said in a small smile, reminiscing about the redheaded Jōnin.

Shikaku also smiled, "He made a big impact on you boys in such a short time. He has been so good for the village in the last few months. I'd say if he was older and lived in the village for longer, he would have been a Hokage candidate already," Shikaku deduced.

"Hm, too bad the position of Hokage doesn't interest Kotero in the slightest. He wants Naruto to be it," Shikamaru truthfully said.

The two Naras played for a while, "Let's hope he comes back to us then. Checkmate!" Shikaku said as he got up and left the room. Shikamaru didn't care that he lost this time, he himself got up and went back to the main room.

Shikamaru saw Naruto sleeping with a soft face in his mother's grip. She was slightly rocking them, keeping him embraced in motherly love. Shikamaru felt saddened by the view, ' _Yeah me too Oyaji!'_ he thought.

* * *

 **Iwagakure**

It was a bleak day in the Land of Earth, the hidden village of the Rock had some light rain and dull clouds. Inside the Tsuchikage mansion, at the centre of the village, the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of the twin scales was taking a break from paperwork in his office. He had a slight frown on his face as his wrist had a cramp. _'Damn paperwork!'_ he thought with a hint of anger. There was a knock on his door just then. "Come in," he said hastily as he sat back down on his chair.

Ōnoki saw his son come in with some assistance, Kitsuchi had a large cast all over his right arm and a large cast going from his left hand to his elbow. Kitsuchi's large nose had a pad coving it and some bandages. Ōnoki was shocked to see his son in such a sorry state. "Kitsuchi!? What the hell happened to you?" he nearly screamed out.

Kitsuchi looked at his father with a frown of his own. "That last mission!" he yelled out.

"That last mission? You mean the assassination on the Uzumaki?" Ōnoki asked with a loud voice.

"Yeah. We ambushed him, but he played us like a fiddle. He killed all my men but left me aside because he didn't want to start a war. But he sure isn't stupid, he broke my arms, wrist and nose. He also said if something like this happens again, he'll make our lives hell!" Kitsuchi said in his short report.

Ōnoki could only growl and grind his teeth at this. "As much as I hate to say this. We did try to kill the bastard with thirty good men and women. It's not like he wanted to kill our people. But… Shit! God, why couldn't he have just been killed. Now the Daimyō is going to cut our funding. It's no good going for him now. We need to perform better for the next few months and years to get more funding and missions. And we'll need to look at the budget again," he siad, laying out his plan.

"Good Idea Tou-san. Anything else before I go home and rest. I want to see Kurotsuchi before I go to sleep," Kitsuchi said tiredly, his body was strained heavily with the broken arms and the journey back home.

Ōnoki took a moment to think before opening his mouth and eyes. "I'll be declaring that Uzumaki an S-rank threat. From your story, it sounded like he wasn't out of breath, yet he took out twenty-nine of our Jōnin. He's a serious threat. If he can, he needs to be eliminated!" he said to his son.

"S-rank! Don't you think that's a bit much!" Kitsuchi said with shock in his voice.

"If I don't do this now, then when? He's probably on one of the Sannin's levels or the traitorous Uchiha or close to it. He could become a threat like that wretched Namikaze. He certainly will get stronger, he's still young. And we don't need any more trouble to do with him!" Ōnoki declared.

Kitsuchi couldn't find any fault in the logic, and it was his twenty-nine squad members that have been killed. Still the last S-rank nin to come from Iwa was a ninja named Deidara. He only got the rank because of the use of his destructive bloodline limit to destroy and kill some of the village's buildings and villagers, escaping on a large clay bird screaming "ART IS A BANG!"

"I don't know Tou-san. But I'm sure you know what's best. Now if you excuse me, I'll be taking my leave," Kitsuchi said with a short bow and left his father to muse by himself.

Ōnoki was annoyed beyond relief. ' _Damn Uzumaki! Always causing us trouble. Uzumaki Kotero, be prepared to be a S-rank threat to the land of Earth,_ ' the Tsuchikage internally thought as he started writing a letter to get the update done for the next bingo book. "Don't worry, Child of Storm, I will have your head."

* * *

 **Konoha**

On tenth day since Kotero's mission, Kakashi was preparing his search team with his ninken (ninja dogs) outside the village gates. He went through the signs and summoned a small pug with the Konoha forehead protector on his head and a blue sleeveless jacket with the symbol of a scarecrow on the back.

" **Yo! Kakashi what do you need?** " the small pug asked with a bored expression.

"Pakkun, we're searching for our friend, Kotero. He was ambushed by Iwa ninja in the Land of Stone and we don't know if he survived. Tell the others to prepare when I call you," Kakashi ordered.

" **Kotero!? Fine Kakashi I'll tell them straight away,** " Pakkun replied and was about to disappear.

"That won't be necessary Pakkun. You would only be wasting your time," A familiar voice said.

Kakashi and Pakkun were spooked by the familiar voice. Then on the path they were on, a tall man with blood red hair, two swords and wearing a black and grey Jōnin flak jacket flashed in front of them.

Pakkun was the first to speak up, " **Kotero? *sniff-sniff* That's really you! Kakashi said you were ambushed,** " The small dog said.

Kotero looked at them both with a sour face. "I think it's best if I said this in front the Hokage first. He's worried sick for me I bet!" Kotero said while tapping his finger on his crossed arms.

Kakashi had a dumbfounded look on his face. ' _He's actually here,' h_ e thought. "Yeah… that would be for the best. Pakkun, looks like you aren't needed for today, thank you anyway," Kakashi said with his trademark eye-smile.

" **Cool. See ya Kotero, Kakashi,** " Pakkun said as he departed in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi had his lone popping out at Kotero. "Kakashi, something wrong? Your eye will dry out if you keep that up," Kotero said rather cheerfully.

"How did you escape?" Kakashi asked the redhead, still not believing he was seeing what was in front of his eyes.

Kotero cocked his head to the side, he put his hands on his hips, sighed and walked to the Hokage's tower. "I'll tell the story when we get to the Hokage. I don't want to repeat myself more than I have to!" Kotero said with a hint of irritation.

Kakashi just followed the redhead and kept silent. They were walking through the streets then jumped to the roof tops and flew to the Hokage tower. It took a minute or so until they reached the front door. They entered the ever-busy lobby, did the routine wave to the receptionist and climbed the stairs. Kotero and Kakashi climbed till they reached the top floor, both walked to the Hokage's office and Kakashi knocked on the door. "Enter," the word said in a neutral tone was heard from the two Jōnin.

Kakashi entered first, "Hokage-sama," he said with a quick bow.

The Hokage was confused, he sent Kakashi to go look for Kotero only twenty minutes ago. "Kakashi, why are you here, did you find Kotero already?" he asked in a non-believing voice.

Kotero walked in with his hands behind his head wearing a shit-eating grin. "Actually, I found him!" he said, his grin turning into a soft smile.

The Hokage's face softened and he quickly walked over and gave Kotero a grandfatherly pat on the shoulder, "I'm so glad you're safe. We were worried sick. We thought you might of..."

"What? Died? Please Jiji it'll take more than them to kill me. Like I said to Kurenai, I have too much to live for to die!" Kotero said with a cheeky grin.

"Hm, that's true. Asuma, your team, the Naras, Akimichis and especially Naruto will be happy to hear that you're back home!" the old man said with a smile as he was walking back to his desk.

Kotero took a seat by the desk, Kakashi leaned on the wall near the two. "I'm sure they would be, I'm quite the guy to be around!" he said happily with his eyes closed.

"Now, tell us how you escaped Kotero, I've been waiting since we've met at the gates," Kakashi injected as his patience was wearing thin.

Kotero's face turned serious, he bent forward, he rested his chin on his knuckles which his arms were resting on his knees. "I didn't escape," he just stated, not even looking at the copy-nin.

"You mean you battled all of them!?" Kakashi gasped out as he stood away from the wall. The Hokage was also shocked by the statement, he interlaced his fingers and was then waiting for the conversation to continue.

"Yeah I did. It was a hard fight," Kotero replied while stretching his back and arms. "At times, I didn't think I would make it home," he admitted truthfully.

"What happened? Tell us the full story Kotero," The Hokage asked.

Kotero received the message beneath the words. "Well, we were coming home from the Land of Stone and we were having a great time! But then, those sons of bitches of Iwa had to ruin our party and try to kill me. I declared Kurenai as team leader and ordered them home while I stay back and fight," he told the two in front of him. It was the start of the long story.

Hiruzen nodded, "We already know that. Kurenai as written it in her report. Now tell us what happened after!" he demanded softly.

Kotero just sighed and then proceeded to tell the Hokage and Kakashi how the battle went, killing the Iwa nin one by one, using his swords, hidden blade and jutsu. He also told them about the ground collapsing and all of them falling in. He also told them about the cavern, how he killed the Iwa nin in one full sweep and his little chat with Kitsuchi. He decided to leave out his ruin expedition for the time being.

Hiruzen and Kakashi were stunned. ' _What skill!'_ they both thought. "Wow, I'm impressed Kotero, we thought by any chance you came home you would have used a distraction and legged it!" Kakashi said a little excitedly, the story was full of action and got his blood pumping.

Hiruzen had to refill his pipe during the story because he was enjoying the action so much he was puffing like chimney. "I'm glad you didn't kill the Tsuchikage's son. Like you said, war could've broken out," he said as he leaned back on his chair.

Kotero nodded in agreement, "I know. A part of me thought he would have tried to kill me even with those injuries but thankfully he followed my reasoning. That scroll helped me out Jiji! Ninjutsu was his main forte so with the loss of his arms, he would have very little chance to defeat me!" Kotero said chirpily.

"I think anyone who lost the use of their arms would have little chance in any fight, apart from Gai," Kakashi added.

"Oh yeah, you said he only focuses on taijutsu. I wouldn't like to meet him in a fight," Kotero said as he inspected his fingernails, picking out some of the dirt.

Hiruzen just stared at the redhead, "You're full of surprises, aren't you Kotero!" he happily said.

"I'm like a box of chocolates, you don't know what're going to get until you open the box. HAHAHA… Now! If you don't mind, I want to go home and have a shower. I only have an hour before I pick up Naruto from the academy," Kotero beamed out loudly as he stood up and left the room hastily.

Both the Hokage and Kakashi were a bit wide-eyed from the dramatic exit. "He's unique like the rest of you Jōnin. Alright Kakashi, I'm not counting that as a mission success since you only left for a few minutes. Now get out of my office!" the Hokage ordered.

Kakashi sadly bowed and left the room, thinking how he should have received lots of money for such an easy mission. ' _But_ _I did complete it!'_ he thought with his head hanging down.

* * *

 **Konoha Academy**

The hand of the clock was about to go to three o'clock. The academy students in the classroom were waiting patiently for the slow clock to move.

"And that's how chakra changes shape when we do hand seals…" Iruka lectured to the class.

 **DING! DONG!**

"We'll continue our lesson tomorrow! Go home after a good day's work!" Iruka said happily. The school day was pleasant today.

Shikamaru and Chōji stood up from their seats and pulled Naruto out of his. Naruto has been sluggish, and it's been annoying his two best friends. They dragged the blonde Uzumaki through the academy. Because of Naruto's lack of effort, they were the last ones to leave. The trio were walking slowly through the academy grounds.

"What the hell is wrong with you three?" a voice came from behind them. The three spun around to the familiar voice and couldn't believe their eyes. There Kotero was standing in his usual attire without the flak jacket or his swords. He had a confused look on his face. "Did something happen in the academy today that made you brain-dead or something?" he asked with a raised eye-brow.

Naruto broke out of his daze and started to tear-up, "Nii-chan?" he asked himself rather than state it out.

Kotero's face softened. "The one and only! Now come here, I haven't seen you in ages!" Kotero beamed out, he knelt to Naruto's level and opened his arms. Not even a second later he was tackled by his blonde brother and felt his sleeveless jacket get wet. Kotero strongly wrapped his arms around Naruto. The brothers stayed like that for a while.

"You thought I died huh?" Kotero asked Naruto. Naruto just nodded his head into Kotero's chest. Kotero 's forehead showed a bulging vein. Forcing himself out of the hug, Kotero then flicked his finger at Naruto's forehead with some chakra enhanced strength making Naruto fly away and tumble into the ground.

"IDIOT! You should have more faith in your Nii-chan. If you going to end up like that every time, you won't have time to be a ninja," Kotero lectured to Naruto.

"But Nii-chan, it was a group of thirty Jōnin Chūnin, Hokage-Jiji said that the Nidiame died by similar numbers ttebayo. I just thought of the worst!" Naruto shouted out, not liking how the comforting hug turned to a small bruise on his face.

"Ah, it doesn't matter. Now I have to thank you two for taking care for Naruto while I was gone," Kotero said. He gave a happy smile to Shikamaru and Chōji.

"It's no problem, he's our friend after all," Chōji said.

Shikamaru took his hands out of his shorts. "Yeah, Kaa-san made him stay at our house and made him dinner and forced him to sleep with me in my room," Shikamaru said with a bored expression.

Kotero just sighed at this. "Now I have to get Yoshino something better than flowers. Troublesome. Alright you boys, how about I treat to ramen or something," Kotero said out loud as he clapped his hands.

All three boys had a wave of energy wash over their faces. Excitement was oozing out of Naruto, Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly and Chōji leaked some saliva.

' _That's disgusting Chōji!'_ Kotero thought when he saw the young Akimichi.

"YES! let's go!" Naruto cried out as he grabbed his older brother's hand and dragged him to the ramen stand.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	6. Chapter 6 - Village Mysteries

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto._** _ **All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 6 - Village Mysteries**

"Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine… and one hundred!" Naruto yelled out as he dropped from a tall branch deep inside one of Konoha's multiple interior forests. He sat down on his rear and breathed in and out raggedly. Naruto wiped off a puddle of sweat that accumulated all over his forehead. The weather wasn't warm, but the aspiring ninja was topless. The veins all over his upper body were showing, because off his intense workout he did, the veins were trying to transport oxygen to his tired muscles.

Naruto grinned as he drank his cool bottle of water, "That was my third set ttebayo… I'm getting much stronger. I'd say I'm the strongest academy student in the world hehe," Naruto said after he finished his set of pull-ups. He laid his back onto the bark of a nearby tree, he scrunched his face in slight discomfort, the bark of the tree had a rough exterior.

After ten minutes of a breather, Naruto stood up and dusted himself off. "Now let's practice some more," Naruto groaned out before he stretched his back and walked off to a nearby training post. The post was a log that was thick and straight.

Buried into the ground so it had a secure foundation. It was wrapped in thick rope to help the ninja training with them, so they won't break their bones from the hard wood. Naruto has been training with these logs ever since he broke the training dummies that were in the academy grounds months ago.

Naruto positioned himself in his clan's taijutsu style and started practising various kicks on the post. He realised himself in the past year that this was an area he struggled with, even with the guidance from his brother. Naruto decided that he needed to work alone to improve himself and he couldn't completely rely on Kotero.

Ever since the events of his older brother's near-death situation, the assassination attempt in the Land of Stone, Naruto felt that it was his responsibility to stop being a burden and train himself to the best of his abilities. Naruto felt that he was holding Kotero back in his own training and therefore making him more likely to die on missions.

Of course, the brothers still trained together when the older was home from missions, however Naruto's older brother has been on a huge string of missions since he rose to the rank of Jōnin, especially in the last few months.

Naruto used the time alone to improve his skills that he knew weren't up to standard. The only areas he couldn't work on was elemental jutsu. Since he was an academy student, therefore a civilian, he cannot access any library to gather the jutsu scrolls. He had asked his older brother but Kotero just promised that he'll teach him some before he graduated.

This of course annoyed Naruto, he wanted to become stronger quicker and that was one way of doing it. Naruto just bit his lower lip at the time and just left it alone, he was going to be mature about it.

Naruto swung a high kick and hit the post. A satisfying crunch sound was heard. He stopped his kicking barrage and tried to look between the rope. Naruto pried it open and saw a slight crack on where he kicked the post. Naruto smiled and resumed his taijutsu training.

Usually Naruto's mind was blank was he was in the middle of his solo training. However, he was angry at his brother today. The one-time Kotero had a day off, the two brothers couldn't spend some quality time together.

"Freaking poker night!" Naruto muttered under his breath as he continued his kicking practice. Even though Naruto was angry, it was only because he had so much love for his older brother.

Naruto spent twenty minutes on his taijutsu practice before he felt that his feet, ankles and shins were about to fall apart. He stopped and went over to the tree he was resting on before. He grabbed a second water bottle and unwrapped an energy protein bar. Naruto rested his body against the tree and let the sweat he had built up drip off his back.

After finishing the bar and water, Naruto grabbed a towel that he left on his white t-shirt and black jacket. He dried himself and then rubbed the towel thoroughly through his hair. He dropped the towel after he dried himself. Naruto dressed himself in his clothes and then zipped up his jacket all the way up to his chin. The temperature was getting chillier as time passed on.

Naruto had to go to the Nara's for a sleepover tonight but that was later in the day. He knew he still had a few hours until he needed to be there.

Naruto sealed up his towel and bottles into a storage seal that he made and then he put the scroll into his pouch. He rolled his shoulders to loosen them up before heading into the village.

Naruto walked slowly, his lower body was in pain, so he didn't want to injure himself by running around. The season was spring in Konoha. Naruto saw flowers growing from the ground and rising. However, they still not mature enough to blossom, much to Naruto's disappointment.

"Gotta get some new flowers for the garden this year. Some roses or something?" Naruto reminded himself, gardening was one of his favourite hobbies. Watching things grow, making them healthy and seeing all the hard work you put in come into fruition, in the form of fruits, vegetables, herbs and blossomed flowers made him feel at complete peace. Naruto didn't care if anyone thought it was girly, he thought it was manly.

Naruto felt his legs were moving faster unconsciously. He smiled and started to walk at his normal pace with no pains. Naruto was only walking for another ten minutes before he entered the outskirts of the built-up village of Konoha. There weren't many villagers, but he didn't want to deal with any sneers or snarls from the people, so he immediately jumped to the rooftops.

Naruto landed and looked ahead, he saw ninja running from and to the Hokage tower. He ticked his tongue in annoyance. Naruto wanted to be a ninja already, to him he wasn't growing up fast enough.

Naruto rubbed the temples with his fingers and sighed. "I need to think!" he admitted. Naruto looked up and saw the Hokage mountain. The great faces of the past Hokage all looking over the village they cherished. Naruto unconsciously moved to the mountain at a quick pace, his former pain from training was no longer affecting him in the slightest. Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop with efficiency.

Running on all these buildings were like second nature to him, seeing that he ran away from the Sandaime Hokage's personal ANBU with success using all the different buildings, streets and alleyways in Konoha. Naruto's pranking habits made him know Konoha as if it was drawn on the back of his hand. He knew all the secret spots on where to hide from angry villagers or the ANBU, not that was something that he was very proud of, but it made him a better ninja in the end.

Naruto jumped down from the rooftop and landed on the open dirt patch that was in front of the cliff-face. He looked up and saw the tall height, the chins of the Hokage were larger than some buildings he saw in the village. "Our guardian angels," he said quietly before he put his left foot on the rock wall and then his right.

Using chakra as a suction effect on the bottom of his feet, he climbed the cliff face with ease. The months of practice he dedicated to the chakra control exercises, and the insane challenges he thinks of to make the exercises more interesting has helped so much that he could do wall-walking in his sleep.

Naruto took his time when climbing up the cliff, he headed to one specific spot. Once he was close enough, he jumped up and grabbed the tip of a nose with his right hand. With his body secured, he used his body to swing up and launch himself into the air. Naruto went up and then landed on one of the long strands of hair on the Yondaime's face. He walked to the top of the rock Yondaime's head and sat down, cross-legged.

Naruto looked over at the village and sighed contently. He laid back and uncrossed his legs, now in a relaxed lying position. He looked to the clouds. "I can see why Shikamaru does this all the time. So peaceful," Naruto said.

Naruto played with his fingers, he wasn't much of the type to sort out his thoughts in his head, he needed to say them. "I'm strong," He stated. Naruto was quiet for only a few moments after then he laughed. "Jeez, I'm such an idiot," he said after with a soft smile.

"Only a few more months till graduation. Then I'll become a Genin. A ninja. I'll do super cool and hard missions ttebayo. Jiji will have to give me his hat, he'll see that I'm the best one for the job!" Naruto told himself.

"I hope Nii-chan gets a break soon. I've been bored stiff for a while. Academy sucks and there's nothing happening in the village. Shikamaru and Chōji seem to always want to stay at home. And I don't want to intrude on their families but still… what else am I supposed to do?" Naruto asked himself.

Naruto stayed there on the top of the Yondaime's head for a few minutes. He idly spent his time watching the villager's do their business. Since it was the weekend, Naruto didn't have any classes today. This meant he had too much free time right now.

Naruto looked to his left and saw the untouched part of Hokage mountain. "Which one will I be? Godaime? Rokudaime? Or maybe Nanadaime? Nah I'll be the Godaime. Jiji still has a good few years in him. He'll give me the hat and we'll have a big party about it!" Naruto cried out.

Naruto stayed there for what seemed like hours. He was enjoying the peace. This spot was one of his favourites in the village. When Naruto was a small child, he would climb to the top quite often to get away from his pain. Overtime since his older brother came into his life, he had visited the peak less and less. That still didn't change the fact that it was still one of his favourite places.

Naruto got sick of just lying on the Yondaime's head and stood up. He dusted his rear and jumped to the top of the cliff. When he landed, Naruto scanned the area. There were far less trees here than any other area of Konoha. "I actually never went beyond here," Naruto said as he walked forward.

He looked left and right with each passing step, familiarising himself with the new area. He kept walking until there was a fork in the road. "Hm, which way do I go. If I remember, there isn't any buildings beyond this mountain," Naruto said as he put his hand into an inside pocket of his jacket and took out a small frog wallet. "Hello Gama-chan my little friend. Give daddy a coin ttebayo!" Naruto gleefully said as he opened the wallet and dug his hand into it.

It didn't take long until he took out a thick and large silver coloured coin. "One hundred ryó. Heads goes left, tails go right," Naruto declared.

Naruto placed the coin on his hand with the tip of his thumb underneath the coin. Then he flicked his thumb up making the coin fly into the air. The coin went up and then straight back down. It hit the ground and rebounded back up with some extra flips. It settled down. Naruto leaned over it, "Heads huh? Looks like we're going to the left," Naruto said as he picked the coin up and placed it back into his wallet and returning the wallet back into his jacket.

Naruto went down the left path of the fork. He kept walking and noticed there were more trees appearing. As Naruto traversed, he entered a dense forest. Naruto suddenly stopped. He looked ahead and saw a drop-in altitude. He jogged ahead was shocked. There was a loose but visible cobblestone staircase. However, this was not what surprised him, there was a tall metal fence about ten-feet tall. Naruto looked and saw that it was very rusty. ' _Must be very old,'_ Naruto pointed out in his mind.

Naruto found what was in front of him very strange. The part of the forest he was in was very deep. In this part of the village's territory, it is illegal to own any property, so he knew nobody could live here, well at least in a house. The fence was tall but wasn't wide. At both ends of the fence was tall rocks that were part of Hokage mountain. He peeked through the fence and saw that the cobblestone staircase was extremely narrow, a man would just about struggle to go through the stairs.

Naruto knew this whole area was suspicious. He then grinned like a madman. "I was just saying I was bored. At least this will keep me entertained," he said as he climbed up the rusty gate

He dropped down on the small landing and then descended the stairs. Naruto kept going and going. He was amazed on how long it was taking him to get to the bottom. It was a constant drop in altitude and he was walking down the steps for minutes. Naruto used his head and thought it was a genjutsu casted onto him either by some ninja or a trap. He formed a Ram hand seal and said "Genjutsu Kai!"

Nothing changed, and his body didn't feel any different compared to prior to his attempt. Naruto thought about and concluded that it wasn't a genjutsu. He then continued down the steps until he noticed that ahead that there will be rock above his head. "This leads to a cave?" Naruto questioned.

Naruto felt small butterflies flutter in his stomach, his mind was telling him to move back. However, his curiosity to find out what was at the bottom of the stairs was hungrier than his fear. Naruto gulped before going down. He only walked for another minute before he reached the last step. Naruto stopped and took out a flashlight from his pouch. The area ahead of him was pitch black.

Naruto turned on the switch and saw a wide and high corridor. His flashlight didn't reach the end of the dark corridor. "This is scary dattebayo… I hope there are no ghosts!" Naruto shivered out as a bit of cold sweat covered his body.

Shaking himself like a dog, he composed himself. Naruto looked ahead and walked forward. He was moving the flashlight around the stone corridor to see anything unusual. There were small stalactites forming from the ceiling of the corridor, with drops of water dripping from the tips. Some of the droplets hit his hair.

Naruto walked for about two minutes until he entered as circular room. He turned off his flashlight as somehow there was some form of light illuminating the room. Naruto saw not out of the ordinary apart from three things that was in the centre of the room. There was a large rock the size of two Narutos on a steel hatchet door that was locked up by an ancient looking padlock. Naruto walked forward to see them in closer detail.

Naruto crouched to the ground and tried to see what was underneath the steel, but it was tightly pushed onto the ground. Naruto stood up, he knew had to push the rock off to see what was underneath. Naruto gripped onto the small boulder and pushed with all his might. The boulder was stubborn as it only moved slightly from its original spot. Naruto groaned in annoyance.

Naruto dusted his hands and regripped the boulder, putting all his strength behind him. "Heave-Ho!" he shouted as he pushed the boulder, using his full body to push the rock off. The rock didn't move for only two seconds until it was pushed off in one quick motion. Naruto lost his balance after his mighty push and had to stabilise himself.

With the boulder off the steel hatchet door, Naruto turned around and looked closely on where the rock was. "Something seems weird," Naruto said as he knelt to the ground and looked closely at the outline of where rock was.

"Seems like this rock was placed a long time ago but not as long as this door-thingy was created," Naruto deduced as he looked at the different dust levels and marks that the rock left compared to close by.

"Doesn't really say much. Just means someone entered this… whatever it is recently. But how recently?" Naruto questioned.

Naruto turned his attention to the ancient padlock that kept the steel door closed. He looked directly into the keyhole and all around the lock. Surprisingly, there was no damage or scuff marks on the lock despite the age. There was also no dust or dirt inside the lock hole.

"Now I'm really wondering what's down here," Naruto said with his tongue sticking out slightly. He pulled hard on the lock, but the mechanism wouldn't budge.

Naruto sighed and then looked in his pouches. "Now… Do I have anything to open this lock?" he asked himself while searching through his inventory.

"Kunai, shuriken, yadda-yadda and… Nothing! Damn. I'll need to get stuff from home to see what's down here," Naruto muttered under his breath.

Naruto stood up and wiped his face from tiredness, "Maybe it was a good thing. I have no idea what time it is, and I need to have dinner with Shikamaru and family soon. Shower is a priority. Can't be smelly in front of Yoshino-kaasan now can I!" Naruto said loudly before turning around and leaving the circular room through the corridor.

Now anxious because of the unknowns, Naruto scurried back through the corridor until he reached the staircase. He climbed up the staircases at a much faster pace than he did when he was going down. It took much less time for Naruto to reach his destination. He saw the light at the top and smiled, going faster now as he saw the finishing line.

Naruto jumped over the last few steps and landed on the small landing. Immediately, he hopped onto the fence and climbed it, jumping over and landing on the dirt ground once his foot touched the top rail.

Naruto saw that the sun was in its late afternoon position. He knew he had little time to go home and clean himself up. "And my house is so far away!" Naruto groaned out before he started to run.

Sprinting back along the path that he travelled down before, it took little time for Naruto to reach the faces of Hokage mountain. Not even considering his safety, he jumped off straight away and spreads out his body like a star. Naruto was approaching the ground a fast velocity, gliding somewhat with his body spread out so much.

For any observer, it would seem that Naruto would crash into the ground and kill himself. However, Naruto wasn't an aspiring ninja for nothing. Naruto gripped onto the horizontal bar of a streetlight and used chakra on his hands to slow his body down. As his body swung like a gymnast, he let go of the bar which propelled his body forward but at a much slower speed than the speed to when he was falling. Naruto did a back-flip in the air and then landed in a crouch. He took a second to admire his own skill, "You wouldn't see Shika doing any of that!" Naruto said happily.

Naruto hastily moved back to his house, using all the shortcuts he uses when he goes to class in the academy.

Naruto zoned out everything around him, his house was the only thing he could see and think. Naruto arrived at the front of his house and stopped. He didn't know how long he was running for, but it barely felt like any time passed for him. Naruto Looked at the front of the house and smiled contently. The brothers added a banner that was hanging over the door. It had a large red Uzumaki swirl on it with a black background. It was his idea to put it up as he thought it would make the house look ten times cooler, and in his opinion, it did.

Naruto moved to the front door and flowed chakra into the handle. He heard the "CLICK" and turned the handle. "I'm home," Naruto said loudly but received no response.

Naruto sighed, "Nii-chan must not be home yet," he said sadly.

Naruto walked through the small corridor to where the staircase was. He quickly went into his room and dropped his gear and picked up a fresh set of clothes. In a flash, he ran into the bathroom, locked the door, turned on the shower to max heat, undressed himself and hopped into the shower.

"HOLY CRAP! THAT'S HOT!" Naruto shouted to the top of his lungs. He quickly turned the temperature dial to minimum.

A second later, the freezing cold water escaped the shower head and rained onto his naked back. Naruto's whole body spasmed, then shivered. His teeth started chattering. "Too cold!" Naruto yelped as his tanned skin turned to a deathly white.

Moving the dial in between half and max, the water came out in a warm temperature. Naruto sighed a breath of relief when he finally got it right. Rushing through the shower was a terrible mistake. Feeling the two extremes was something he didn't want to go through again.

Naruto spent only five minutes in the shower. Using a soap bar to wash his body and shampoo to clean his hair simultaneously. He turned off the shower and stepped out. Steam rose from Naruto's body. Naruto quickly grabbed a warm towel and dried himself ruggedly, especially his hair.

Throwing his towel onto the towel rack, Naruto hastily put on his fresh set of clothes on, bandage straps and all. He quickly ran out of the house and legged it to the Nara compound.

Quickly arriving to Shikamaru's house, Naruto knocked on the door and waited still, hoping he wasn't late.

The door slid open to reveal a bored Shikamaru. "You're finally here Naruto," he said before he yawned and shuffled to the side.

Naruto nodded and walked through the gap. He knew his way around the house and walked into the main room where the dinner table was. Naruto saw Shikaku reading some mission reports. The elder Nara looked from the reports and gave Naruto a small smile before going back to his reading.

Naruto sat down at his usual place, he has been going to the Nara's for dinner quite often. "Something smells good dattebayo," he said as he made himself comfortable.

Shikamaru sat beside him. "Kaa-san wanted to make you a feast today. Sometimes I think she loves you more than me," he told Naruto as he rested his jaw on his palm.

Naruto giggled from the comment before he saw Yoshino bring in multiple trays of food and laying them on the table. She ran back to the kitchen and in a second brought out a pot of stew. "There we go boys!" Yoshino exclaimed as she put her hands on her hips.

"Thanks for the meal," the three males said as they took a plate and placed various foods on them.

Sometime in the meal, Shikamaru looked at Naruto, "Yo, Naruto?"

"Hm?" Naruto hummed as he looked at Shikamaru with a stuffed mouth of rice.

"Not that I don't like the idea of you staying over tonight, but why did Kotero-aniki want you to sleep here tonight?" Shikamaru asked.

"Eh, I think something about a poker night with the Jōnin and it was his turn to host it," Naruto answered with a sigh.

"Poker night? Seriously? I would've liked to play."

"You? I thought you guys only played shogi," Naruto said.

"Yeah, we do. I want to play something different. You're too easy plus Aniki and Oyaji are too hard. It's annoying that there's no-one else to play with," Shikamaru groaned out.

"Hey! At least I try. I'm a lot better now compared to back then ttebayo!" Naruto screamed out at Shikamaru.

Yoshino was getting annoyed by the loud noises and smacked both boys in the head with her wooden spoon. "Will you two shut up. It's hard enough to enjoy my fabulous dinner with your loud yapping!" she cried out swinging her wooden spoon.

Both boys paled at the angry mother, "Sorry Kaa-san," they both said at the same time, submissively.

"Good! Now shut up and eat the good food!" Yoshino said as she sat back down.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

Shikaku watched the whole scene with a small grin. "Naruto?"

Naruto spun his head to Shikaku. "Something wrong, Shikaku-ojisan?" he asked.

"What do you think of your brother's new nickname?" Shikaku asked.

"New nickname? What do you mean?" Naruto asked back.

Shikaku paled a little, he assumed Kotero would've told his little brother about his new achievement.

"Ah doesn't matter. I'm sure he'll tell you himself when he gets the chance," Shikaku said.

Naruto just shrugged and dug into his rice. Shikamaru knew he will have to ask his dad later what he meant, and Yoshino had a sour face pointed at him.

' _Should have just kept my damn mouth shut!'_ Shikaku thought as he rubbed his face with his hands. The four then talked about the final year in the academy, the village and other news that happened in and out of the village.

* * *

 **Later at the Uzumaki Residence**

"What the? Where did all my money go?" Kotero said as he looked at the small pile of chips beside him with tears falling down his eyes. Kotero invited Asuma, Kakashi, Genma, Ibiki and Anko to play poker.

Ibiki smirked while looking at his on growing pile. "Looks like you aren't good at everything huh? Mr S-rank?" Ibiki quipped.

' _Stupid hulk of a man and his tiny smirk!'_ Kotero thought as he dealt the cards. "It's not like I wanted to be known as a S-rank threat!" Kotero complained.

"At least you got a good nickname. "The Crimson leaf" is cool. You should be happy!" Asuma added to the conversation.

"Yeah, what a great nickname! Totally captures my hair," Kotero said in a cynical voice.

"Mah-mah, Kotero calm down. Play the game and enjoy life a little," Kakashi injected to the conversation while patting Kotero's shoulder.

"Shut it Kakashi. If you weren't so lazy and read porn everywhere you go, you would be in the same boat as me!" Kotero said with a hiss.

"Me Lazy!? Kotero, I thought we were friends," Kakashi said as he dramatically fell backwards on his chair, covering his face with the back of his hand.

Anko and Genma laughed at the banter going on between Kakashi and Kotero.

Kotero didn't miss the quiet giggles and he turned his eyes onto both. "Stop the laughing there you two! Miss Hissy we'll have a sparring session if you don't stop, and I won't be holding back. And Genma, I'll find whatever the hell is stuck in your teeth with that senbon of yours!" he said in a slightly scary voice.

Both gulped at the threats and proceeded to look at their cards. Kotero sat back down after his little outburst. "Sorry about that guys. I just feel a bit tense since I saw it in the bingo books. Anyway Anko? How's that seal holding up?" Kotero asked the snake mistress.

The woman beamed at this, "It's great! I don't have any more pains and that other seal we casted on it hides the cursed seal completely," she told the group.

"I'm glad you're happy with it. I'm still sorry about not removing it. But like I told you before, I need that strange enzyme and the original formula for it. But as soon as we get that, we can remove it completely," Kotero said in a sincere voice.

Anko just smiled and nodded. The others on the table also smiled. Since Kotero sealed the cursed seal around six months ago, Anko has been much friendlier but still insane, especially if she wants to have fun. As a gift to Kotero that shocked the village was a takeaway box of Dango still intact. This would be comparable to a gold bracelet according to Anko.

"Have you told Naruto yet about your rank and moniker?" Genma asked.

Kotero stayed silent until he put on his bet. "No, he's at the Nara's for a sleepover. He'll find out tomorrow when he comes home," he answered.

"I thought he would be the first to know," Genma said.

"Yeah great conversation topic, 'Hey Naruto, guess what. Other villages and countries hate your big brother's guts and want to kill him. Isn't that great!?'. No Genma, it's hard enough telling him how I nearly died in missions imagine If I tell him this. He'll either go crazy happy and congratulate me or sulk so much that he might lose me. I'll find out tomorrow ether way," Kotero said.

"Hahaha, you don't give that kid enough faith," Ibiki laughed out.

"Yeah Kotero, give him some faith. He is your little brother after all," Asuma said as he folded his cards.

Kakashi perked up a bit as he remembered something. "Did you hear what happened to Gai?" he asked the group, getting a round of no's. "Well somehow he got terrible food poisoning and he's stuck in the hospital for a week. His digestive tract weakened so much that he needs to stay in bed. He tried escaping, while saying something about the power of youth but he fell down the stairs and broke his ankle, now he's there for longer. Funny story right!" Kakashi laughed out.

The others laughed out to. "Wait," Asuma butted in, "Doesn't he have a Genin team right now, who's going to take care of them?" he asked while lighting another cigarette.

Kakashi giggled like a schoolgirl and wrapped his right arm around Kotero and pointed at him with his left. "This guy!" he cried out then proceeding to laugh.

The shock on Kotero's face was evident and it made Kakashi laugh harder and the others laugh as well. "WHAT! Are you serious. I'm babysitting!" Kotero screamed out.

The group excluding Kotero laughed harder. This went on for a minute until they calmed down. "Yeah! Heard it from the Hokage himself. He wants you to have a trial run so when you get your own team in the future, you'll be able to handle it," Kakashi said covering his mouth with his hand, trying to stop the giggles from escaping.

"Hm, that's bullshit. Why don't you do it? You never passed a team. A functioning one might help you," Kotero asked seriously.

"Nah, I know what's needed for my team. And I want one member to be on my team especially," Kakashi said while staring down at his cards.

"Who? The Uchiha boy? I heard stories from Kotero about how stuck up he is," Anko said as she folded her cards.

"He's not that stuck-up. Honeslty, I wouldn't mind him. In actual fact, I'm sure I would be the only one to help him. But I want Naruto on my team," Kakashi said shocking the table.

"Naruto? Why? Because he's Kotero's little brother?" Ibiki asked.

"Yes, and other reasons," Kakashi replied. The group knew he was being vague, so they didn't press on. Kotero was trying to connect the dots.

' _There must be a connection between Kakashi and Naruto that I haven't discovered yet. I know Kakashi was on Naruto's guard duty before I came here. I thanked him greatly, but his answer held more… feeling in it. Must be something I haven't seen yet,'_ Kotero deduced from Kakashi's statement.

"Well, I hope you get him. If it's you or Asuma then I'll be happy. I can trust you guys with my and Naruto's life!" Kotero said aloud. Both smiled at this, the trust Kotero had for them was comforting and they knew how much damage would come from the redhead if Naruto was mistreated by a Jōnin sensei because he's the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki.

"I read the report on Naruto's grades in the academy, he's doing average on everything. Exactly fifty out of one-hundred in every category. You wouldn't know why would you Kotero?" Anko asked.

"Why were you looking at his reports?" Kotero asked not angrily just curiously.

"After you sealed the cursed seal. I asked the Hokage more about you and your little brother and he let me see some of Naruto's files," she told him.

"Alright. The reason for Naruto for being just average is because Naruto and I want enemies to underestimate him. Also, we both know he doesn't need any extra attention. He's much better than what the reports say. We train together whenever I get a break,"

"Yeah I was wondering how he could perform so… mediocrely if you were around. It would be an embarrassment if he didn't get better if you're here,"

"Ah stop it Anko, you're flattering me. But to be honest who else is going to help him. The clan kids have peers and seniors and techniques to help them. Many ignore him, fearing him for what he burdens. If I wasn't here, Naruto would be as dumb as a stick, and he'd either be eating cup ramen or saying 'Dattebayo' every two seconds. I'm glad I'm here, he wouldn't have anyone to help him and he would've suffered more," Kotero said as he made himself more comfortable.

The group shifted a little in discomfort, knowing what the redhead said was completely true. They put it to the back of their mind and played the game of poker until late in the night.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

Naruto was walking back home after his sleepover with the Naras. He was forced to stay for breakfast by Yoshino despite his protests that she didn't need to cook him anything. Walking on the village rooftops, Naruto looked at the clocktower in the centre of the village. "Half eight. Not too bad," he said before yawning.

Naruto kept his slow pace towards his way home. Eventually seeing the large house with the Uzumaki banner hanging proudly on the front. Naruto increased his speed and ran to the door. Flowing charka to the door handle and then turning it. He entered the house and closed the door behind him.

Naruto walked to the kitchen and saw his older brother reading some scroll on the table with his breakfast. "What's up Nii-chan?" Naruto asked as he went to the fridge and grabbed a carton of milk.

Kotero looked up from the scroll, "Not too much little man. How were the Naras? Hopefully Yoshino made enough food for your massive appetite," he said with a soft smile.

Naruto drank some of his milk and wiped some that was left over on his lips with his hand, "Of course. She feeds me too much. Then she complains that Shika doesn't eat enough and he should follow my example," Naruto said with a chuckle.

Kotero laughed as well, "Sounds like her alright. What are you going to do today?" he asked.

Naruto didn't know how to answer this. He didn't want to reveal this secret part of Konoha just yet. "Probably some training in one of the forests. Maybe a new one. Change of scenery you know ttebayo," Naruto replied smoothly.

Kotero smiled and nodded, "Good man. Well I have to go now. And I'll probably be home late today. Alright?" he asked.

Naruto nodded and put his hand up ready for a fist-bump. Kotero smiled and fist-bumped him and went off his way out of the door and house.

"Now I can get the stuff to see where that door leads me to," Naruto said with a small grin after he threw the empty carton of milk into the bin.

* * *

 **Hokage's Office**

Kotero walked into the office of the Hokage with a slight frown on his face, "I hope you're happy because I hate you Jiji!" he said as he walked to the centre of the office with his finger pointing at the old man.

Hiruzen just chuckled at the action, "Why would I be happy?" he asked with a grin.

"Grrr, why did I even get you that luxury Tobacco from the capital for your birthday if you were going to do this to me!" Kotero complained to the old man.

Hiruzen laughed out, "Yes thanks for that again. This is some of the best stuff I smoked. And you got me a whole crate! It must have cost you a fortune."

"Well, I thought you were worth it but NOPE! You have to put me on babysitting duty while Gai pukes his brains out."

"Now, now, my boy. It'll be good for you. Ever since you became a Jōnin, you only worked with Chūnin and other Jōnin. You lead many missions and a lot were successful, even though the first one we thought you died. I think if you worked with a trio of Genin it'll be good for your leadership and them having the experience of working with a S-rank ninja."

"Jeez, you're never going to let that go are ya!?"

"Well if you think about. It's just you and me in the S-rank club. Everyone else are only A-rank to B-rank."

"That just means we're shit at hiding our faces Jiji!"

"Or it just means we're just that fantastic!"

"Sure, Sure. The only other S-rank ninja that came out of here recently are your students, the Yondaime Hokage and Uchiha Itachi. But from what you tell me one has perverted addictions, the other is a drunk and Orochimaru… well there's no point going into that mess. The point is, I'll be known all around the Mainland. I wanted a nice life here. Spend time with Naruto and pick up a nice, gorgeous woman to have children with. Not become like this in less than two years here."

"Nice, gorgeous woman?"

"Jiji, seriously? Come on that's not the point, like I said I didn't want to be known so quickly!"

"Ah, Kotero it just means you are just amazing," Hiruzen said with wry smile.

"Shut it Jiji, you love this because it means you know I can do the hardest missions. Anyway, there's no point ranting about it anymore. What do I have to do?"

"The hospital has given a report on Gai's condition. He would only have stayed a week in there if he didn't break his ankle. So, you will be taking care of his team until he is fully recovered. Most likely two weeks, three weeks max."

"Why can't I help heal his broken bones? I can do that you know."

"I know. The hospital has nothing but good things to say about you. And the shadow clones help immensely. Your hours are unbelievable in that respect. But no. I want you to this. If you heal Gai's ankle when I'm not looking. I'll seal your chakra up for a month."

"Jiji!? What the hell!? You wouldn't actually do that"

"Yes, I would. I don't make threats often but when I do, they're for real."

The Hokage and Kotero stared at each other for a full minute, neither blinking. The atmosphere in the room was getting heavy and intense. Both were exuding their chakra and there was power flowing all around the room. Kotero just sighed and focused on the Hokage. "I'll do it on one condition," he said.

' _Hehe, I win this round,'_ Hiruzen thought as he sucked on his pipe a bit. "And what is this request Kotero?" he asked, he had an idea it was something about money or jutsu.

"I want to do one C-rank mission with them on the second week. A small delivery mission would be suitable. I don't want to stick around and do D-ranks. I've done enough after that second bet with Asuma and Kakashi," Kotero said out loud to the old man.

Hiruzen just sighed at the comment. His son and Kakashi stupidly betted on Kotero's D-rank mission marathon again before the new year and both lost as Kotero completed yet another hundred D-rank missions in ten day. Hiruzen agreed to the fiasco if he got to keep half the total earnings.

Kotero didn't care about the money, he just loved the satisfaction of when his "boys" lost their ends of the bet, so he agreed. By the end, Kotero was so exhausted from the extreme use of shadow clones he needed a full day of rest to restore his chakra and to help his headaches.

' _So worth it!'_ Kotero thought as he reminisced about the two bets. The Hokage pouted a bit from the memory, he made a lot of money, but he had to find lots of jobs for the redhead and struggled to give any to the Genins, not that they cared.

Hiruzen thought over the request again. "Hm, I'll have to disagree. It would be good for them to go into the real world outside the village. But I think Gai would be disappointed, he's barely functioning at the moment. He would be broken if he missed out on that," he said.

"That bad, huh? Maybe I should have a look at him?" Kotero said, he genuinely wanted to help his friend.

"Kotero! No, you won't. The hospital staff can handle him. Now you must meet his team at training grounds three at nine, so you have half an hour. Now leave me to do some smoking… I mean work!"

"Whatever Jiji. I'm not going to rat you out. Have a good day you old bastard. And give me a better mission after this," Kotero yawned out as he waved off his grandfather figure and ran out the office.

Kotero then walked around the village, minding his own business. He didn't equip his swords today. He just had his pouches filled with tools and his handy hidden blade that he never leaves with. He strolled through the streets, looking at the stalls. He saw a mirror for sale. He didn't need it, but he couldn't help but look at himself.

Kotero wore his usual outfit, but he did remodelling with his green and grey flak jackets, they have a lighter and stronger alloy only found in the Land of Earth laced inside. The result is more flexibility and stronger armour. Of course, he kept the Uzumaki symbol proudly on the back. The only problem was that the material was mad expensive. He only had the one jacket with the lacing.

Kotero looked at his blue scaled necklace again and smiled, he has grown very attached to it. He looked at the stores clock and saw he only had three minutes to get to training grounds three.

' _Goddamn threes,'_ Kotero thought with a slight puff of the cheeks.

He went out of the store and flew to the rooftops and sprinted to the training grounds. Kotero was a blur across the village. He raced over the buildings and ran through the forests. The sun was rising and Kotero could feel bliss heat hitting his back. He made it to the training grounds with a minute to spare. He entered inside and suppressed his chakra. He then looked ahead and saw three young pre-teens doing katas and their morning training.

The first person he noticed was a boy with long brown hair with pupil-less clear eyes that were white in colour and had a lavender purple tint around the iris. He wore a white top and brown shorts and the standard blue shinobi sandals. He had bandages wrapping all the way up his right arm and leg and his forehead protector.

' _Must be a Hyūga with those eyes,'_ Kotero thought from the distance.

The next boy he saw seemed way too familiar for Kotero's liking. It was then he saw why, he was a mini-Gai. The boy wore a green spandex suit and had orange leg warmers. His forehead protector was wrapped around his waist. He had his bandages running from both of his arms hands all the way to his elbow. What caught Kotero's attention was the young boy's hairy features. ' _This guy's eyebrows are exactly like Gai's. I wonder if they're related? And what is with the hair, so black and shiny, just like Gai's as well. Is this like a special at the barbers?'_ Kotero thought with a sour face.

Then his eyes finally laid upon the last member of team Gai, a young kunoichi who was doing target practice. She wore the blue sandals, baggy dark blue pants and a pink chinsed style sleeveless fighting shirt that was trimmed in red. She wore her forehead protector on her forehead and her hairstyle was tied up hair with two buns on each side.

' _She sorts of reminds me of that portrait of Great-Aunt Mito with the buns. She seems like a serious kunoichi. Thank God!'_ Kotero happily thought.

It seemed like time to make his introduction to the group. Kotero took a deep breath and flashed with pure speed.

All three Genin were spooked by the sudden appearance of the redhead.

"Yo. I'm your substitute for the next few days while Gai is sick. Pleasure to meet you all," Kotero said politely.

The three Genin didn't know what to say to the Jōnin.

Kotero sensed this and sighed deeply. "Alright guys follow me. We need to have a talk," he said while turning around and scanning the grounds. He saw a large boulder that had his name on it. ' _Perfect!'_ he thought. '

Kotero then walked over to the boulder, with the three Genin in pursuit. He sat on the boulder cross-legged and relaxed. The three Genin sat on the floor and faced him.

Kotero couldn't take the silence anymore and thought how he was going to start this. ' _God! I have to use something that Kakashi uses,'_ He internally groaned. "Ok guys. Why don't we introduce ourselves and say our likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams. That sort of thing. You may think this is silly, but I only met you guys.

So, we'll start with myself. I'm Uzumaki Kotero, currently I am a Jōnin of Konoha. I like my little brother, learning and training. My dislikes are liars and losing in anything, I actually get quite moody even if there are no stakes on the line. My hobbies are similar to my likes, but I also like gardening and cooking. And my dream… is an unknown, but I definitely want a woman in my life and kids messing about," Kotero finished, then he pointed at the mini-Gai, "You're next," he said.

The boy got super excited and stood from his spot, "YOSH! MY NAME IS ROCK LEE. I LOVE TO TRAIN AND BEING A SPLENDID NINJA. MY DISLIKES IS NOT TRAINING AND NOT BEING A SPLENDID NINJA. MY HOBBIES ARE TRAINING AND BEING A SPLENDID NINJA. MY DREAM IS TO PROVE YOU CAN STILL BE A SPLENDID NINJA EVEN WITH TAIJUTSU!" Lee shouted out with fire coming out of his eyes.

' _He loves being a splendid ninja, that's for sure. Only taijutsu huh? This must be the dead-last of this year's graduates Jiji told me. Good for him!'_ Kotero thought with a bit of 'oomph'.

"I love the determination Lee!" Kotero said with a smile. "I'm sure you will be a splendid ninja but keep your voice down a little ok? Now let's get to you next," he said pointing at the Hyūga on his right hand-side.

The Hyūga just sighed after hearing his loud team-mate and then looked at Kotero, "My name is Hyūga Neji from the Hyūga clan. My likes are training. My dislikes are something I wouldn't like to share. My hobbies are training as well. My dream isn't needed to be known," he said in a blank voice.

' _Fuck me! This guy is uptight. So, we have an over-energetic Genin and one who has a pole stuck up his ass. Let's hope the girl is better,_ ' Kotero thought.

"Fair enough. Ok last, but not least, the pretty lady in the middle," Kotero said out happily, nodding in the girl's direction.

The girl blushed at the compliment and tried to look at the Jōnin's eyes. "I'm Tenten. I like training and learning new things. My dislikes are people who think kunoichi can't be strong. My hobbies are fortune-telling and looking at new weapons at my Father's shop and my dream is to become a famous kunoichi like Tsunade-sama," she said with gusto at the end.

Kotero's face grew in happiness and he fist pumped the air shouting "YES!" and then pointed at Tenten, "I thought I was going to get a stuck-up girl, but thank the lord of the seas and stars. I got a serious kunoichi!" he said with joy.

The three Genin were a bit surprised by the reaction, but could understand where the Jōnin was coming from.

Kotero sat back down, "Is there anything you guys want to know about specifically before we do training and do a mission today?" he asked the Genin.

Lee was the first one to put up his hand, "Kotero-sensei, what taijutsu style do you use?" Lee asked in a calmer but still loud voice.

' _Sensei? That's a new one. I'm more of a senpai, but who cares. Shit, I should answer the question,'_ Kotero thought.

"You follow Gai's 'Strong Fist' fighting style right? I use the Whirl-fist which is a different style where I mainly focus on hard hits with elbow and knee-strikes and grappling. A very brutal style. Ok that's your question, who's next?" Kotero asked.

Tenten was the next one to ask, "Kotero-sensei, what's your specialty?" she asked.

Kotero just looked at her with a soft smile. "I have no specialty, I try and focus on many fields, so I can have an advantage on the battlefield. But I say my best areas are Kenjutsu, Water ninjutsu and fuinjutsu," he said coolly.

Tenten went wide-eyed from what he said. "Kenjutsu? Fūinjutsu? I'm learning both in my spare time. Where are your swords? Can I see them?" She asked with puppy dog eyes.

Kotero just laughed at her, "Haha sorry, I didn't bring them. I'll show you them tomorrow or some other time. And good for you for learning fūinjutsu. It's a lost art. And Neji do you have a question?" he asked.

"How strong are you?" he asked with the Hyūga blank face.

"What do you mean? Compared to your sensei and the other Jōnin? I can't give you a straight answer. Anyway, a ninja never reveals his or her true strength," Kotero replied with a cheeky grin, deflecting the question. Neji was a little annoyed with the answer but he didn't expect a true answer anyway.

Kotero clapped his hands. "Alright, it seems you warmed up already. We will do a quick spar with each other and then we'll do a mission. Then I can do more focused based training for you guys when I learn more about you," Kotero said to his new team.

' _Even though you're a taijutsu_ _focused team, there is good potential. What the hell was Jiji smoking when he formed this team? What if they encountered a long-range enemy? They'd be screwed over backwards,'_ Kotero thought.

The group went to the centre of the grounds and they all stood in a square. "You guys decide, it can one on one with me or all three of you against me at the same time. Taijutsu and ninja tools only," Kotero called out.

The three Genin looked at each other and nodded. "By ourselves!" they said.

' _Do they communicate with their brains or something? God, Naruto and I need to learn that shit!'_ Kotero thought.

"Sweet! Lee you're first and give me everything you got!" Kotero stood his ground and got into his stance. Neji and Tenten watched from the side-lines as Lee got into his own stance.

When it became just Kotero and Lee, Lee shot at Kotero and launched a flurry of hard and fast punches and kicks. Kotero was dodging them with ease and lightly tapping at various places on Lee's legs and arms. After a few minutes of Lee trying to hit Kotero he was slowing down while Kotero looked fresh as ever.

' _Better end this now_!' Kotero thought as he focused chakra in his index fingertip and hit the nerve points that ran along Lee's legs and right arm. Lee collapsed on the floor and couldn't move three out of four of his limbs.

Neji and Tenten were shocked, ' _Gentle fist_!' both thought _._

Neji spoke out. "How do you know that?" he asked with a slight snarl.

Kotero was confused by the question. "What do you mean? I use this when I'm treating patients at the hospital to help ease pain. I hit his nerve points not his tenketsu. I would need your eyes for that Neji," he answered Neji's unanswered question. Neji's face lost its snarl and nodded at Kotero.

Lee tried to sit up but had to completely rely on his left arm. Kotero knelt down and hit the nerve points once again in blinding speed. Lee suddenly had the use of his arm and legs. "Well done Lee. Your taijutsu is great for a Genin. Work on your speed and stamina, you already pack power behind those strikes," Kotero complimented Lee with a smile.

Lee was helped up and wrote what Kotero said in a small notebook. "YES! I will take this youthful advice to heart and become a splendid ninja!" Lee shouted with a salute.

' _I can't help but love this kid!'_ Kotero thought with a soft smile. "Ok Neji you're up!" Kotero shouted. Neji came to Kotero as Lee limped slightly to Tenten.

Both Neji and Kotero got into their stances, Neji activated the byakugan and started the spar. It was the same story with the last spar, Kotero was dodging with ease but instead of hard and direct punches and kicks, Neji's style was mainly chakra wrapped finger strikes and palm strikes.

After a few minutes of direct sparring on Neji's end, Kotero was now happy with the tired Hyūga and gave him a hard kick to the stomach. Neji flew back to Lee and Tenten which was some distance away. ' _What the hell was that?'_ Neji thought as he struggled to get up with his sore torso.

Kotero walked to the group and knelt beside Neji and let his hands flow healing chakra to Neji's mid-section using the Mystic palm technique. "Good fight Neji. Just like I'm going to say to Lee. Work on your speed and stamina and you will be a very tough opponent," Kotero said sincerely.

Neji slightly scoffed at the compliment, his pride damaged because of how easily he was handled. After Kotero was done with the quick first-aid, he stood up and patted Tenten's shoulder. "Your turn. Let's go!" he said as he body-flickered them to where the fights were taking place.

Tenten was surprised by the jutsu but got ready for her fight. She immediately threw shuriken at the redhead. Kotero smiled at the change and dodged them gracefully. Tenten followed this by throwing senbon needles at Kotero. Kotero smirked, he nabbed the first needle in the air and deflected the rest with said needle. Tenten was amazed by the skill, it would have been so much easier to dodge them, ' _Show-off!'_ she thought.

Tenten proceeded to unseal a katana and launched herself at Kotero. She kept her slicing up.

' _She's good so far. However, she's full of holes and needs more time to get used to her blade. Hayate or Yūgao could give a hand. Anyway, she'll become quite the kunoichi!'_ Kotero thought happily.

Kotero had seen enough and stopped her blade with his kunai that he quickly took out, too fast for Tenten to see. "You're good Tenten, like the others you just need more training," He flicked the kunai which made Tenten stumble back. "Now Tsunade is your role model yeah? Well let me show you strength that you would expect from the woman!" he said with a sweet smile.

Kotero amassed a large quantity of chakra into his right arm and fist, using the chakra to increase the tension of his contracted muscles.

Neji saw all this with his byakugan. ' _What an enormous amount of chakra, who is this guy?'_ he thought.

" **Fissure fist** ," Kotero shouted as he smacked his fist into the ground. Like last time with his fight with Kakashi, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake.

All the Genin lost their footing and Tenten had to jump back to dodge the incoming rocks. The ground around Kotero was crumbling up, several rocks uprooted from the ground and spider-web like fissure cracks appeared all around the scene. The trees that were in the distance seemed to shake like crazy. The shaking slowed down and the force was dissipating.

There was a large dust cloud around the Jōnin and Genin. Kotero flashed through the signs Tiger-Ox-Dog-Hare-Snake and used his **Wind release: Great breakthrough**. Kotero then blew a huge wind blast from his mouth at the dust cloud and aimed it away from himself and Tenten. The cloud disappeared and Kotero helped Tenten get to her feet. He then grabbed her shoulder and body-flickered them to Neji and Lee.

Tenten, Lee and Neji were lost for words, the strength they saw made them fear the smiling Jōnin a little.

"Alright you lot! I'm impressed with all of you. You have only been Genin for like a couple of months? You guys are good for now. But you can always improve, hell I need to improve. We're going to take a twenty-minute break and head to the Hokage to get us a mission," Kotero ordered.

Lee did a nice-guy pose with a thumbs-up and a shining huge smile. Neji and Tenten just nodded. Kotero went back to the rock where he sat at the beginning and lied down on it. He had some shut-eye.

Before he even knew it, his little timer he set dinged. ' _What the? No way that could have been twenty minutes. Damn you God for screwing time with me!'_ he cursed God once more in his mind and hopped off the boulder.

"Guys let's go. These missions aren't going to complete themselves," Kotero said loudly so they can all hear.

They all gathered and headed off to the tower. The village was bustling with people as always. The snow had melted recently, and the weather was picking up again. The stalls were filled with goods and produce. ' _Seems like there's nothing wrong in the world around here,'_ Kotero thought glumly as he knew this is peace only reserved to villagers not shinobi.

Team Gai entered the Hokage tower. Kotero looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Neji by himself. The other two were chatting away. ' _Needs to socialise more. Something must have made him this way. But hey, I'm not going to find out. Too troublesome,'_ Kotero thought just before entering the mission admissions room.

Kotero and co walked to the centre of the room and waited for the team ahead of him to get their C-rank mission, ' _So lucky!'_ Kotero thought with a pout. Kotero saw the space in front of him and walked forward, "Team Gai here to ask for one D-rank mission Hokage-sama," Kotero stated.

The Hokage looked up and saw his favourite redhead with a slight frown and Gai's Genin behind him. "Going for mission two hundred and one with the D-ranks Kotero? Good. Also, I heard that training grounds three had a small earthquake. Would you know anything about it?" the Hokage asked with a grin.

' _Damn you Jiji! Always making me feel bad whenever I use this strength,'_ Kotero thought. "Yes. That was my punch Hokage-sama," Kotero said. His attitude suggested that he was like an academy student in trouble.

"And what did I say about using that strength?" the Hokage asked. The end of his lip was curled up.

"Only use it outside the village," Kotero answered, with his eyebrow twitching in irritation.

The Hokage was enjoying this too much and wanted to continue but he needed to send them on a mission, "Very good. Now, let's see, oh the Inuzuka clan wants a team to help clean up their kennels. A big job. You think you can handle it?" the Hokage asked, trying to hold in his laughter.

Kotero scoffed and caught the scroll the Hokage threw at him. "I really do hate you sometimes Hokage-sama. Team, let's get the hell out of here!" Kotero barked out.

As they left, the team could hear the Hokage's hard laughing. Kotero grew annoyed at this, ' _You won this time! I'll get you next time Jiji!'_ he thought as well of plans to do with Naruto to prank the old man.

"Do you and the Hokage not like each other?" Lee asked as he tried to grasp what was going on.

Kotero was completely thrown off by the question. "What? No! I love that old man. We're like family. He just knows how to push my buttons. That usually happens when I do something… destructive!" Kotero admitted while scratching the back of his head looking like a guilty dog.

The three sweat-dropped at this. The team left the tower and made their way to the Inuzuka compound. Kotero noted that it was quite a distance from the tower, being near the outskirts of the village, near the massive walls. They finally made it to the entrance and to Kotero's surprise, Inuzuka Tsume was waiting for them. "Wow, who knew we'd get such an entrance from the head of the clan," Kotero teased as he walked up to the matriarch.

Tsume smirked and laid her eyes on the redhead. "Shut it pup! You should be honoured I even came out," She barked out lightly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kotero then just smiled softly. "It's good to see you Tsume," he said also crossing his arms.

Tsume changed her smirk to a smile. "Yeah it's good to see you too pup. You never told me you were a Jōnin sensei!" she said while looking at the Genin.

"I didn't because I'm not. Hokage-sama thought it would be good for me to substitute for Gai. He's very ill and is hospitalised. Our gracious leader says it would be a good learning experience," Kotero droned out.

Tsume barked out laughing and slapped the back of Kotero. "I never knew you complained so much. Stop being such a little bitch and let's do the jobs!" she said after her laughing.

They all walked to the kennels, Tsume and Kotero were having a more serious chat as they walked along. The trio of Genin were following a few steps behind. "It seems like Kotero-sensei is on really good terms with the clan head," Tenten pointed out.

"It must be his flames of youth that makes Kotero-sensei so popular," Lee added to the conversation.

Neji just sighed. "I believe that he is on good terms with all the clan heads and the Hokage. Especially the Nara clan head. I wonder how important he is?" Neji injected.

They all wondered about the redhead, he was becoming more interesting by the moment.

Tsume stopped in her tracks and turned around to face the Genin. "You guys will clean up the puppy kennels and then you will help move the food supply to the back sheds over there," Tsume said while pointing to a building in the distance. The Genin grimaced at the thought of cleaning up dog faeces. Tsume saw their faces of disgust and was about to say something about but Kotero beat her to the punch.

"Guys stop looking like that. Would you rather do this or kill someone huh? I rather see the cute puppies. Now let's go and get cleaning," Kotero ordered. The group paled at the words used but got to their jobs inside the kennels.

They all entered and grabbed shovels and gloves. They put on the gloves and shovelled the dog faeces off the ground and put it in the bin. All the Genin's faces were soured as the nasty smell hit their nostrils. This continued for a good hour. Kotero was helping as well but was taking his sweet time, hoping the Genin would do most of the work already being sick of these types of missions.

Kotero finished his section and saw that the whole kennel floor was clean. "Thank God that's over. Now let's go move those food supplies guys and report back, unless Tsume has something else for us," Kotero said to the group.

The group groaned apart from Lee who saw this as a worthy challenge, saying if they couldn't finish the job in less than five minutes then he would do five hundred push-ups. They all exited the building and went over to the crates filled with dog food. There were four huge boxes filled with the stuff. ' _And this only lasts a week!? Tsume, how much do you guys feed these dogs!?'_ Kotero thought with wonder.

"Perfect, one box for each. Now let's finish this," Kotero enthusiastically ordered.

The Genin and Jōnin each grabbed bags, and brought to the shed and piled them on top of each other. They kept this up until the boxes were empty as the sun was beginning to set for evening. Kotero went off to say their job was complete to Tsume and to say his goodbyes to her. He came back to the group five minutes later, "Good work guys. Now let's go to the Hokage, he'll want to see me… I mean us. Let's go!" Kotero cheered out to his Genin. Then he began to run to the Hokage tower.

The Genin groaned and ran as fast as they can to catch up to Kotero. They caught up to him and kept up their running and ran through the village, jumping from building to building. They made it to the tower in good time, Kotero and team entered inside and immediately went up the stairs to the Hokage's office. Kotero knocked and waited for the routine "Enter," from the Hokage, Kotero walked in and his team followed.

"Reporting for mission success of helping the Inuzuka clan with team Gai, Hokage-sama," Kotero said with no emotion as he was still a bit peeved being put on babysitting duty.

The Hokage had a slight smile on his face, "Good work team. The pay will be in your accounts and the success on your report cards. Come back in a few days for another mission," Hiruzen said to the team. They all bowed and were about to leave, "Kotero. Stay back for a moment," he said after.

The Genin looked at the redhead, Kotero just gave them a quick thumbs-up to indicate that they can leave. Neji, Tenten and Lee left the office. "Jiji, what's the matter?" Kotero asked.

"Nothing, I was just wondering how was your first day as a sensei?" Hiruzen asked while he activated privacy and silencing seals.

"Ah, it wasn't too bad. Lee is a handful, but his spirit is refreshing. Tenten is a serious kunoichi and your drunk pupil is her idol, I'm happy she's taking her role seriously. And Neji… has his issues."

"Well that's to be expected."

"Why, because he's a branch member of the Hyūga."

"How did you know that?"

"Naruto told me about the Hyūga girl in his class… Hinata I think her name was. I know the girl is Hiashi's daughter."

"Oh, if you know that much already there's not much to say. But Neji is like that because of the death of his father. Hizashi is the younger twin brother of Hiashi. He blames the main family for his death."

"Doesn't help with their cursed seal. I would be pissed if I had that on my forehead."

"Yes… It's unsettling about your knowledge about their cursed seal."

"Well, sealing is in my blood. And the Hyūga's case is a good example. Why wouldn't I know about it."

"True Kotero, I was just thinking I would have to give you a history lesson. That's all. Anyway, about eight years ago, Hyūga Hinata was kidnapped by Kumo shinobi after they came over to Konoha as representatives to sign a non-aggression pact. Hyūga Hiashi killed the ninja and saved his daughter but Kumogakure said they never ordered their ninja to do that and we broke the treaty already. So, they demanded the dead body of Hyūga Hiashi for his Byakugan."

"God! That's grim… and all that village wants is bloodline limits. So, what happened next?"

"Well, the Hyūga clan thought it was outrageous and didn't want to send the head's head to Kumo. Therefore, Hizashi decided to sacrifice himself as they looked identical. Not for the main family but for his brother. Neji doesn't know this to the best of my knowledge and Hiashi has closed off his emotions since his wife and brother have died. That explains why Neji has a 'pole stuck up his ass,' like you say. I was hoping by putting him with Gai to cheer him up and also because of his taijutsu skill. The boy is clearly talented."

"I can understand the pain. My Tou-chan died, sacrificing himself for my Kaa-chan and I. I don't know how much he is hurting but he's going to get worse unless something big happens to him. It's the same with the Uchiha, Sasuke, in Naruto's class, all he does is brood about. Yes, I know his clan was murdered by his brother, however he acts if his pain is the only pain around. Hell, Naruto suffered just as much for about a decade before I found him and according to you he was acting all smiley and happy. Even though it was fake, it's a lot better than being mean or broody. We should try to help the kid out Jiji, I don't know, maybe there is a sweet side hiddin in Sasuke."

"Haha, maybe there is. About Neji, I know. Neji is on a path that detests the main house and I fear that Sasuke is power-hungry."

"To kill Uchiha Itachi? No offensive to Sasuke, the kid is a good ninja, like really good! However, I don't think he'll catch up to Itachi in skill anytime soon. Itachi was an ANBU captain at thirteen. Sasuke is still at the academy and he's like what, eleven? I bet nearly twelve."

"That's why I'm afraid if they ever meet, Sasuke will lose his head and get himself killed."

"Well stop pampering the damn boy. All everybody does is wank the boy off. Funny that you said people didn't like the clan until after the massacre and Sasuke was the last survivor. How the times change huh?"

"Kotero! Language! As crudely as you said it though, you're right. He has the belief that he's better than everyone else."

"Hm, it's a problem for the future. Anyway! I'm happy with the team so far. But I want a solo mission by the end of this. It's almost like a holiday break!"

"I see what I can do. It'll most likely be a A-rank, maybe a S-rank. That's it for you today Kotero. Go home and say hi to Naruto for me!"

"Will do Jiji! See ya later," Kotero said sincerely. He left the office with a wave to the old man and exited the Hokage tower. He then looked at the time at the clocktower nearby, it read six o'clock.

"Naruto will be home already, I should go see him," Kotero said. He flew to the rooftops and blurred across the village to his house. He didn't take in any of the scenery, he jumped and sprinted home with blinding speeds. He landed in front of his door and proceeded to open it.

Kotero walked inside and closed the front door behind him. He entered the kitchen to see Naruto eating a cup ramen. "I thought you said you ate fruit and veg when I go out for missions," Kotero said with a raised eyebrow

Naruto gulped and turned his head to his older brother, who wore a smirk. "Shut up Nii-chan! I need a yummy evening snack ttebayo!" Naruto yelled out.

"Oh? Academy hard today then? Too much for your little brain?" Kotero teased while poking Naruto's forehead.

"No! I just get hungry after the academy! We didnt do any training as usual!"

"Hm, that's ok. You'll just be better than your classmates when you graduate while they will stagnate with these academy lessons."

"Still though, I rather be training with you!"

"I know, you say it every time you complain about the academy. How's Shikamaru and Chōji? They doing alright?"

"Yeah they're alright as always but Shika cloud watches and Chōji never stops eating. They don't train as much as me. They'll graduate though. But I would like a training partner when you go out on missions!"

"Yeah well I have to take care of a Genin team for two weeks Naruto, so we can do training after academy yeah! But I have some things to tell you."

"Something to tell me? Like what?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Now don't freak out. And look at page sixty-nine of this book," Kotero said as he threw the bingo book to Naruto. Naruto flipped through the book and saw Kotero's picture with filled out information beside and underneath it.

Naruto read through the information and description of his big brother and his eyes widened, "S-rank threat!? Avoid fighting unless with a large squad of skilled ninja. Kotero, what the hell did you do to piss off… Iwagakure."

"I'm in their books because of that mission with the Jōnin squad months ago where you thought I died, finally caught up and now they consider me a big threat," Kotero explained to his little brother.

Naruto stayed quiet and reread the page, repeatedly. He then looked up to his brother's eyes, "That's so cool dattebayo! But does this mean you'll be targeted more?" he asked.

"Hm, I have no idea. I know my friend Kakashi is in Kirigakure's bingo book and is considered a A-level threat. But Kiri is in shambles, so he isn't targeted. It says stay away so let's hope I don't get much of a paparazzi when I move about," Kotero said taking out a glass and filling it with cold water.

"Eh… I don't know Nii-chan. At least they know they shouldn't fight you," Naruto pointed out.

The two brothers chatted more about their days, training and then to random things. Kotero asked Naruto if they wanted to train right now and Naruto happily agreed, jumping out his seat and ran to the back. Kotero just chuckled and followed suit. "Naruto, let's do some simple sparring and work on your taijutsu alright?" Kotero said while stretching his joints.

"Yeah! Let's go for it!" Naruto shouted out.

Naruto and Kotero got into the Uzuken stances and Naruto initiated the spar. As with all their spars, it was mainly Kotero dodging and guiding the blond when he was going through his motions. Naruto really enjoyed using the style as it allowed a lot of freedom when fighting. There was no restrictive way to fight, Naruto using his unpredictable nature with the brutal fighting style was a deadly weapon. Naruto had improved immensely.

The blond hasn't grown much in height-wise, but he has gained quite a lot of muscle for a boy his age. His strength and speed have improved over the last eight months. Kotero was impressed with the progression, he knew it was because of Naruto's determination and the Kyūbi's healing factor. Kotero knew that Naruto was pushing himself to the limits whenever they trained together, it must be an awful strain to train with him. Having the Kyūbi's healing factor must help Naruto out a ton.

Kotero would shout to the village of how proud he is of his little brother. Naruto has exceeded his expectations, with how little he would have liked to spend training with the blond. His shurikenjutsu is practically perfect, hitting the bullseyes every time on a standing target and close to centre on moving targets, with both kunai and shuriken.

Naruto's chakra control has improved steadily, even with the Kyūbi's interference, he can now water-walk, the brothers even sparred on water to improve his control and stamina, unfortunately for Kotero, Naruto had too much chakra for any eleven-year old boy. So much in fact that they stayed on the water for hours, improving his taijutsu and Kotero showing him more advanced combos. Kotero still hasn't thought Naruto any elemental jutsu, but he wants to teach Naruto one before he becomes a Genin, so he can have a trump card.

Naruto has mastered the substitute, transformation and the body-flicker techniques but not the normal clone technique. Naruto was getting extremely frustrated from it. Kotero knew he expended too much chakra for such a low chakra requirement technique. Yet Kotero hadn't told Naruto because Naruto's demise was too entertaining for Kotero. The older brother had to plan to help Naruto but he wanted Naruto to suffer a little for the laughs.

Naruto's taijutsu was great for someone a year and a bit ago had no form, Kotero thought of Lee in that moment thinking of how good the fresh Genin was at taijutsu.

The one thing that was clear about Naruto's skills was that he had absolutely no talent in genjutsu. He couldn't cast one for his life. Over the months Kotero learnt some low-level genjutsu for his ever-growing arsenal but he found the art of illusions very difficult. Kurenai was helpful in teaching him but he knew he couldn't do any better, he was terrible at it as well as Naruto. He tried teaching what little he knew to Naruto, but Naruto just couldn't do it. However, it was a completely different story for Naruto breaking out of genjutsu.

Another problem occurred when they practiced trying to break them, Naruto couldn't tell the difference between night and day if he was under a genjutsu. Kotero in the past would cast him in a low-level genjutsu and Naruto would scream out in horror of some fake event happening in front of his eyes or walk into the wall falling over. Kotero found great joy in his little brother's misfortunes but he knew this was a serious problem.

When they did their genjutsu training, Kotero had Naruto know he was under the genjutsu and try to point out where the fluxes and changes in his chakra pathway and his senses were. Naruto had difficulty and was saddened by the fact he wasn't good at it.

One thing was clear, genjutsu was a skill neither of the Uzumaki brothers will excel at.

Kotero was a bit heart broken when he discovered that Naruto will never have near perfect chakra control unless he spent years and years on it. Unless his tailed beast inside his seal co-operated with him he could have brilliant control much sooner, but becoming friends with a giant nine-tailed fox seemed like an impossible task, but if anyone can do it, he believed that Naruto could.

Kotero also thought about the last fourteen months he has been in Konoha and how intense it has been for him. Between missions, training himself, training Naruto and socialising with the clan heads, their clans and the other Jōnin, he never has time just to sit down and do nothing. He decided early on to be on good terms with all the clans in Konoha, so it would help support Naruto in his dream of becoming Hokage in the future.

After his insane training regimen in everything to do with Water ninjutsu and anything to do with the element, he would say without a doubt that he is the strongest Water user in the hidden village, despite there were very few of them to begin with. With his already high-water affinity and intense training over the first year and a bit stay in Konoha, he can now pull large volumes of water from all the air around him.

Kotero learnt most of the Nidaime's techniques that the Hokage had gave him and has created some of his own with the aid of the Nidaime's notes and clan scrolls, one of his pride and joys is **Uzumaki Hidden-jutsu, Water release: Water table riser** , the hand seals were reduced from ten to six, going from Tiger-Snake-Hare-Bird-Rat-Snake then clapping and smacking your hands to the ground pumping the chakra to the ground.

The water chakra being pumped expands the water in the ground and makes it surface to the top of the ground. The more chakra you pump, the more the water rises. Even in areas with dry ground and the water table is low, the chakra will find any source of water, expand it and make it rise. Kotero got the idea from the lack of water from his large battle back in the Land of Stone, he found the lack of water and moisture a huge disadvantage for him.

He also developed other Water jutsu that weren't environmental and more destructive such as **Uzumaki Hidden-jutsu, Water release: Violent whirlpool**. This jutsu has nine hand seals going from Ram-Tiger-Horse-Snake-Bird-Snake-Boar-Monkey-Bird, the jutsu either creates a deadly and powerful whirlpool where the caster wants in a large body of water. Or if they're skilled enough, cast the deadly whirlpool where the target is on the ground and let them get caught in it, getting cut and feeling intense pressure from the swirling water.

Both techniques were chakra exhaustive, so he listed them A-rank for their chakra requirements and the control needed for the jutsu. One thing he knew was that they weren't perfected. They took a huge strain of concentration and chakra to perform.

Kotero was pleased with the level of his Water ninjutsu and focused on Wind release. He already knew how to manipulate the shape of the chakra type, which made learning the techniques much easier. Himself and Asuma would often train together since they were the only wind users in Konoha. The training really gave Kotero an advantage when it came to learn the techniques, since Asuma knew most of them, he only needed his guidance to get them right. Kotero's Wind release training took much less time, since he could create a large volume of wind chakra in his body or control the air around him.

Since Kotero's level in Water and Wind ninjutsu were at a satisfactory level, he decided to immerse himself in his medical ninjutsu and fuinjutsu. Kotero's medical seal that he had been working on for months had been prototyped and worked well, but the flow of medical cakra was extremely slow. But it was better than nothing. Kotero and Naruto theorised that because it was a different form of chakra, it won't behave like normal chakra so Kotero must change the seal slightly to allow the medical chakra to flow better. Only problem was he didn't know what part of the seal impeded the chakra flow. Naruto and he knew more alterations and prototypes needed to be created.

Naruto did a high kick aimed for Kotero's head. The older Uzumaki chuckled and grabbed Naruto's ankle and threw him away like a ragdoll. Naruto landed on the ground was about to stand up straight but Kotero then tripped Naruto off his feet by sweeping his ankles. Naruto fell onto his rear and looked up, his throat was nearly in contact with a kunai, "Good work today Naruto, you really have improved in your taijutsu," Kotero said with a smile filled with pride.

Naruto smiled at the compliment as the kunai was taken away, he was helped up by Kotero and he dusted off his clothes. Both brothers went inside the house and prepared dinner together. Kotero boiled rice and got his soup ready for them. Naruto was on the grill, grilling fish for their main protein. The Uzumaki brothers have become a good tag-team when it comes to the kitchen. The pair got all the cold food out of the fridge and threw it softly on the table while they finished up the hot food. The kitchen was filling up with the intense smells coming off the foods.

Kotero poured the soup into two bowls and scooped rice in two large bowls. He placed them on the table after he turned off the cooker. Naruto dished out the grilled mackerel fish on a large plate for them to share, tons of the oily fish meat looking delicious on the ceramic tray. Both Uzumakis sat down and dug in. After a few short minutes, all the food was clear, and they began to clean up. This was the usual routine, cook, eat, talk and clean-up.

"So, the team I had to take care of today were pretty interesting," Kotero said breaking the silence.

"Interesting how? Were they strong?" Naruto asked.

"They will be, that's for sure. Two of them you would like. Lee and Tenten. The third member is named Neji. He's a tad cold, but I'm sure Gai can warm him up. He reminded me of your Sasuke."

"Oh? Another one!? One is enough to deal with."

"Well he's a year older than you. You might not have to deal with him for a few years."

"Pssh, somehow we'll bud heads. Things like this always happens to me!"

"Still?"

"Yep, Sasuke had been pestering me ever since he heard me talk about the Jōnin until three months ago ttebayo. Every time he talked to me, his fangirls gave me the stink eye and said 'I didn't appreciate him for talking to me'. I don't want to deal with that with someone else, ya know!?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't think Neji is like Sasuke in that respect. It's because Sasuke is an emo according to you that he gets all the girls. Sometimes I think you're just jealous of him."

"Me! Jealous! No way I'm jealous of him Kotero-nii. I rather leave the village then have a million fangirls!"

"So, what if there's a million and one?"

"Ah shut up! You know what I mean! So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Hm, nothing. It's Gai's team so I'll let him take care of Neji. So how was your day at the academy?"

"Oh! It was really good actually ttebayo! We learnt more about the Yondaime Hokage!"

"Really? He's quite the famous man."

"No duh! He's the Yellow flash and he killed the Kyūbi, he's my hero!" Naruto said loudly.

Kotero didn't know how to respond to this, knowing that the man didn't kill the tailed beast but sealed it in Naruto. "Oh… I thought I was your hero?" he sulked out with a pout.

Naruto giggled at the reaction, "Nii-chan, you are! It's not like I can't have more than one role model dattebayo. I look up to Jiji as well."

"Thanks Naruto. You know I have sensitive feelings," Kotero said with a chuckle. The banter continued until the plates and cutlery were cleaned up and put away. Both Uzumakis had showers, Naruto in the main bathroom and Kotero in his bedroom's bathroom's shower.

The bathroom in Kotero's room was surprisingly just smaller than the main bathroom, very spacious and had everything that the main bathroom had, the only difference is that it had a large circular skylight above the large bath tub. ' _This place really is too big for just the two of us,'_ Kotero thought as he looked around the bathroom and house, seeing that there was a ton of space still unoccupied.

Naruto and Kotero dried themselves off at the same time and got into their comfortable clothes, clothes they could wear to bed but can pass off as normal clothing. Both went down to the main room and sat on the couch, enjoying each other's company they started talking again. "Nii-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Hm?"

"I noticed something today in class," Naruto stated glumly.

Kotero noticed the change in expression, "What happened?" he asked as he moved himself closer to Naruto.

Naruto shuffled slightly, twiddling his thumbs and kept his head down, "When Iruka-sensei was talking about the Kyūbi attack. He had a depressed face. And Mizuki-sensei had… a snarl. I'm convinced he was staring at me with it," Naruto said with a confused expression.

Kotero stayed silent. ' _Damnit! Naruto is too observant. He shouldn't find out he's the Jinchūriki when he's still in the academy. Iruka won't do anything, I heard from Jiji that they get on really well. But this Mizuki… if he tries anything, I won't hesitate to kill him!'_ Kotero thought with some killing intent leaking out.

Naruto noticed that the air around them seemed to chill to freezing point and his older brother had a very angry face. "Nii-chan? What's wrong?" Naruto asked with an innocent face.

Naruto's question broke Kotero out of his stupor. He then smiled and hugged Naruto. "Don't worry about them. They must have lost family during the attack," Kotero said as he pulled back slightly to look into Naruto's eyes. "But if what you said is true about Mizuki, if he tries anything with you. Don't hesitate to tell me!" he said with intent.

Naruto was slightly confused with the statement but nodded, knowing he had his big brother's support in anything was a wonderful feeling to the small blond. "Thanks Nii-chan," he said quietly.

Kotero smiled and pulled back but stayed close to Naruto. "So, you're still the smallest in the class?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

Naruto turned from quiet to loud in less than a second. "Shut up Nii-chan! I don't know why I won't grow dattebayo! I eat all those stupid vegetables! I exercise every day and I sleep like a log. It's not my fault I barely grow!" Naruto complained after he punched Kotero's left arm.

' _He's getting stronger!'_ Kotero thought with a smile. Rubbing the spot where he was punched. He felt some discomfort. "Don't worry you'll grow like the rest of us," he said. His smile didn't fade.

"You can't talk much! You're already six foot tall. That's taller than most in the village!" Naruto complained

"Hm, it's good genetics. Don't be surprised if you get this tall when you get to my age. I am seven years older than you, ya know!"

"You say that every time. It sucks getting picked on for my height and love for the colour orange."

"But you barely wear orange on the outside anymore," Kotero said with a confused look on his face. "You have the strips and the inside of the jacket is all orange."

"I know but that doesn't stop my classmates from saying it's a bad colour for a ninja."

"God, kids are assholes these days. Don't mind them Naruto. You're one of the strongest in your class so you have the right to wear whatever the hell you want, and a ninja who wears orange and survives is a ninja I respect," Kotero said while he stood up from the couch and stretched, "I'm going to bed now, I'm so tired. Goodnight Naruto," Kotero yawned out then departed the room.

"Goodnight Nii-chan!" Naruto said with a wave.

* * *

 **Two weeks later**

"Thank God that's over. I was getting bored stiff," Naruto said as he cracked his back. He was walking away from the academy grounds and towards Hokage mountain.

When the bell did eventually ring, he ran out like a bullet, he needed as much time as possible. He had gone to the mysterious steel hatch door every day since he found it. Naruto struggled to open it, so he has done a bit of training.

Naruto quickly climbed to the top of the mountain as soon he was in front of the cliff-face. Jumping over the Hokage's faces and landing on the top, he ran through to get to the old rusty fence. Naruto vaulted over and ran down the stairs until he reached the start of the cave. He pulled out his flashlight and turned it on, so he could see better.

Naruto reached the bottom of the steps and turned to the corridor. Briskly walking through the corridor with the aid of his flash light, Naruto entered the circular room with the steel hatchet door and the strange lock that just wouldn't open for him.

Naruto discovered on his daily visits to this strange location that he was the only one who entered this place, not that it surprised him. He was tempted to ask his older brother or the Hokage to come and have a look. Then he remembered that he most likely would be banned from entering this place if he told the old man and he didn't want to disturb his older brother since he has gotten more free time lately since taking over a Genin team.

Naruto sat down near the lock and took off one of his pouches on his hip. He then opened it and laid out all the items that were stored in it. A notebook, a small guidebook about lockpicking and lock mechanisms, bobby pins and senbon needles. All these items were from his older brother's study room, but Naruto knew the latter wouldn't mind too much that if he took them.

Since Naruto discovered this lock, the first day when he tried to open it, all his attempts were futile. Naruto didn't really know what he was doing so he decided that this will be a new project for him. He knew that ninja had to have certain discrete skills to help them infiltrate buildings and areas. He had heard stories from his older brother on how he lockpicked doors, boxes, crates and safes so he knew it was an invaluable skill. It truly made Naruto wonder why the academy hasn't taught him or his classmates this skill. "Probably don't want us to steal from others ttebayo," Naruto said under his breath.

When Kotero was training Gai's team, Naruto would be trying to break open this lock. He would read up on the lock-picking book and try to figure out the theory behind the contraptions however, Naruto was never one to learn well from just books. He needed to practice. Naruto was smart enough to use a transformation and buy multiple locks in all shapes and sizes from a hardware shop in the village. There, he practiced trying to open them with the tools he had.

Naruto practiced at home, the academy and sometimes even on the go. The lock that he desperately tries to open has made him so curious on what was underneath that he was focusing on lock-picking with nearly every waking moment. If there was nothing valuable or worthwhile underneath, Naruto swore that he would kill someone.

This however was beneficial, as Naruto had a knack for the skill. It was if his fingers worked like magic. After practicing with all the different locks and getting the hang of the different tools, he quickly figured out how to work with the lock to make it open. Spending hours to improve on it, he could open locks in a matter of minutes, some in a few seconds.

Naruto was quite proud of himself, this was something he did all by himself with no outside help. This did not translate to any successful attempts to the strange ancient lock that sometimes enters his dreams and turned them into nightmares. "Day fourteen… Let's hope I get it today dattebayo," Naruto said. He got his bobby pin and Senbon needle in hand.

He first put in the bobby pin in and then his senbon needle. Naruto stuck out his tongue as he moved the pin left and right, to feel out the lock pins that he needs to push up. Naruto thought he put the bobby pin in a good position, so he turned the senbon needle to the left. The bobby pin broke off. Naruto cursed under his breath and then hits the back of the lock to get the broken tip out.

Naruto composed himself before he went on a cursing streak with his mouth, he didn't want to pick up his older brother's bad habit of swearing too much. Kotero had quite the vulgar mouth. Naruto got into a comfortable position and went back to work.

Naruto spent thirty minutes on the lock before he heard the infamous 'CLICK'. Naruto gasped as he saw the actual lock disengage. "Sweet! I finally did it! Freaking hell man, I spent way too much time on this! This better be treasure or some crazy jutsu!" Naruto excitedly yelled out.

Naruto pulled the lock off and placed it near the wall. He then grabbed the end of the steel hatchet door, he pulled it up with a struggle and then pushed it forward. The door moved and slammed into the ground, its hinges making sure it didn't move completely off the floor. There was a loud ringing sound that radiated off the door when it crashed into the ground.

Naruto dusted his hands with a smile. He took out his flashlight and looked what the door hid from him, "A hole with a ladder? Ah come on," He complained while he stomped his right foot on the ground.

Naruto sighed, "Looks like I'll need to find out what's down here then," he said before putting his equipment back into his pouch and then attaching his pouch onto his hip. Naruto walked around the hole, so he was above the ladder, he then gripped onto the first step and descended.

* * *

 **With Team Gai**

It's been two weeks since Kotero has taken the reins for team Gai and he has been bored out of his mind. His training with the three Genin was intense, but not on the level that he puts Naruto through. He mainly did running and physical training as Tenten skills in weapons was superb, Lee's learning his taijutsu from Gai and Neji has his clan to learn from. He didn't want to interfere with their specialties, so he just improved their already impressive fitness. The weather was picking up nicely and the days were getting longer, Kotero was grateful for this as he hated the long nights of winter.

Currently they finished up their sparring sessions and were resting underneath a tree, sitting under the cool shade. Kotero and team were drinking iced water that Kotero brought and some onigiri that he prepared at home. This was their last day together and they had done only two D-rank missions over the two weeks. Kotero wanted more but the Hokage insisted that he wanted Gai to do the missions with his team and only allowed the bare minimum for Kotero.

Kotero was waiting for the training session to be over. It's not like he didn't like the Genin, no far from it. He just had an itch for some real action. Kotero needed a good mission after this just to feed his hunger. He opened his eyes from his day-dreaming and saw Lee doing extra push-ups, Neji meditating and Tenten was staring intently at his katana that were holstered on his back. Kotero forgot that he brought his swords to show to the weapons fanatic.

"Tenten, come with me," Kotero said as he stood up and moved a small distance away from the tree.

The three Genin stopped what they were doing and looked at the Jōnin, wondering what was going on. Tenten, being asked, got off her bum and ran over to Kotero. Kotero saw that she was beside him now on the grassy plain. ' _I wonder how she will react when she sees them,'_ he thought. Kotero unsheathed Sapphire and Ruby.

"These are my two Katana. They are very precious to me. They belonged to my great-grandmother. Their names are Sapphire and Ruby. They're twin sister swords. Both are made from metal that allow chakra to be infused and flow easily into," Kotero told the young girl who was now starry-eyed.

"Wow… they're amazing. Can I hold one?" she asked with puppy dog eyes.

Kotero was a bit hesitant, but allowed the girl to hold Sapphire. She gasped as she held it and studied it with a hawk's eye. Seeing from the tip of the blade to the bottom of the hilt. "Can I swing it around?" she asked.

Kotero nodded and allowed her to do some sword swings. He couldn't help but notice that she was struggling compared when to the time when he helped go through the same motions with her own sword. After a minute or so of wielding Sapphire, Tenten came back over to Kotero. "Sensei, I don't know why but it was much harder practising with your blade then mine. I felt some unknown resistance whenever I swung it. And there's this power that just radiates from it," she said with a sad face.

"Makes sense," Kotero said blankly.

"How?" Tenten asked.

"It's an old story. When my great-grandmother received these swords. She was told how they were made. When they were forging the blades, they took as long as possible and infused it with our family's chakra throughout the whole process. And to add, all my clan at the time donated their blood and they used the blood to mix in with the metal and to forge and cool the blades. You could say the swords are alive with the blood and chakra of my ancestors. Because you aren't related, it gave you a harder time. To me, Ruby and Sapphire are as light as air," Kotero told the story as he sheathed his swords.

"Wow. That's amazing. And the swords are in amazing condition for how old they are!"

"Well anything could last forever if it's taken cared properly. But yes, you're right. These blades are close to a hundred years old,"

Tenten could only stare with awe at the swords. Kotero then called over Neji and Lee to gather them around. "That's it for me training you guys. Thankfully Gai is being discharged from the hospital this afternoon and he's itching to do some training with you guys. I hope I wasn't that bad of a sensei,"

Lee raised his fist and fire came out of his eyes, "WE DIDN'T LEARN MUCH, BUT WE HAD INTENSE TRAINING. I'M SURE THIS WILL HELP ME BECOME A SPLENDID NINJA WHO WILL SPREAD THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!" Lee shouted out.

With their ears ringing, Neji looked at the Jōnin, "Lee is right. You didn't teach us much, but you helped us polish our skills," he said with little emotion.

"Thanks for the training sensei and showing me your swords," Tenten happily cried out.

"Alright guys. Thanks for being good kids. I have to go now and do some work. I'm sure Gai will be here soon," Kotero said. He then body-flickered away and left the trio of Genin at the training grounds. Kotero blurred through the village and ran to the Hokage tower. Instead going through the door and up the stairs he saw the window open and cannoned himself inside.

Hiruzen was scared for his life and was ready for combat, but relaxed when he saw the red hair and dark Jōnin flak jacket. "Kotero!? What the hell are you thinking. Go through the door like a normal person!" he shouted.

Kotero laughed and scratched the back of his head. Then something caught his attention. "A powerful shinobi was here. I sense… his chakra residue is around the place. This guy is strong!" Kotero pointed out.

Hiruzen was impressed, Kotero's sensing skills were improving. "Yes, my pupil Jiraiya was here an hour ago."

"What was he doing? It's like he pumped it out his body for fun."

"I don't know, maybe he wanted you to sense him?"

"I don't know. I never met the man and he's never in the village since he's always spying for us. Seems like a silly reason Jiji, doesn't it?"

"Hm. I wouldn't be so sure Kotero. He saw that you're an S-rank threat to Iwagakure in the bingo books now. He must be interested in you."

"Well why doesn't he just meet me face-to-face. All I get about him is the stories from you on how he was turned into a bloody pulp by the woman in the hot springs."

"There's so many. You could write novels about them. Hehe… brings back good memories. Anyway, you're here for a solo S-rank mission."

"Solo? An assassination mission?"

"Yes, and to retrieve a specific item. You must infiltrate one of the Fire Daimyō's councillors and assassinate him. Aso Tāro is the name. Then retrieve a silver ring with a ruby with the symbol of a lion engraved on it. The ring should be on his left hand."

"Why isn't this gone to ANBU? I'm sure they would have been more suited for the job."

Hiruzen laughed. He blew out some smoke from his pipe. "I want you to do it. Just let this old man have his way. The Daimyō wants it done in two days at night as he suspects the councillor is trying to usurp him soon!"

"What!? How the hell am I supposed to get there on time?"

"I think you know how," Hiruzen said with a grin.

Kotero's face soured. "How fast do you think I can run? I'm not a superhuman," he asked.

"I believe you can do it. Sure all you have to do is move your legs really fast," Hiruzen answered.

Kotero rubbed his face. "I wasn't lying that I really hate you sometimes Jiji," he admitted.

"Now, now Kotero, don't say such things. It'll be bad for my heart."

"Shut it Jiji, you're still stronger than nearly all of the ninja in the village, our spars show it."

"I know, punching you in the face and smoking this sweet tobacco are some of the best stress relievers I have ever experienced," Hiruzen said.

"You know what? I'm going to go now you old coot. Hopefully I'll be back in two days," Kotero said as he jumped out of the window with speed and flew to the main gates. He body-flickered his way to the guard post and signed off his name. Kotestu and Izumo only saw a blur but knew it was the redhead.

* * *

 **Hokage Mountain, Secret Passage**

"Jeez, how long does this ladder go for?" Naruto complained as he took another step down the ladder down through the mysterious hole he found. Naruto has been descending for a few minutes but for him, it felt like an eternity.

Naruto moved his left foot to take the next step down but then his foot felt solid ground, "What the hell? Oh, I'm at the bottom. Yippee, I was getting sick of all that ttebayo," Naruto said as he took out his flashlight and turned it on as he turned around away from the ladder.

"What? Another corridor? What the hell is this place?" Naruto questioned in irritation as the lack of anything substantial was annoying him. "Well, might as well move forward," he said after a tick of the tongue.

Naruto was walking through the corridor, flashing his flashlight in every direction. "Damn, this place is boring," He groaned out before he heard a faint sound behind him. Naruto turned around and then heard wire snap sounds in quick succession. He didn't know what was happening, so he rolled forward some distance and hugged his body to the wall. Naruto heard many whistling sounds and then thud sounds in quick succession for about five seconds until the noise completely disappeared.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and flashed his flashlight at where he was. There was what looked like hundreds of kunai in the ground. Naruto gulped and then lit the roof with his flashlight. There he saw many box contraptions used for traps inside buildings, designed to kill intruders. "Hehe, spoke too soon," Naruto chuckled out while scratching the back of his head.

' _If they are traps in here, that means this place has something that wants to be kept hidden. If it was an emergency tunnel, no way in hell would Jiji put traps in here, that would kill civilians,'_ Naruto thought as he licked his lips. "Seems like all the trouble I went through will be worth it!" he said with a grin.

Naruto stood up away from the wall and dusted himself off. He turned on his flashlight once again and then turned to the unexplored part of the tunnel corridor. Naruto ran his free hand through his hair and then slapped his face lightly, "Show time," he said quietly and then moved forward.

Naruto took his time as he traversed through the tunnel. He kept his flashlight low to make sure he didn't activate any obvious traps. "They most likely put down seal traps. It would be hard to avoid those if done by a seal master. But a super ninja like me can't fall for a simple trap with a tripwire. No, I would be the laughing stock of Konoha then," Naruto said. He kept his eyes peeled for any obvious traps.

Naruto noticed after walking for five minutes that the tunnel went on and on. The flashlight didn't reach the end of the tunnel. "How long does this thing go on for? I wouldn't be surprised if this went of the village after all the crap I went through just to get down here," Naruto said as he kept walking.

Naruto get annoyed with the lack of anything new, so he upped his walking pace, throwing away his cautious approach out of the window earlier.

He travelled for ten more minutes. "What the hell is this?" Naruto shouted out in rage once he reached a dead-end. "All this time I spent just trying to figure out was down this damn tunnel after spending two weeks on some stupid lock… Damn it!" Naruto complained before he punched the tunnel wall with his furious fist.

Naruto's fist contacted the wall and some of the wall pushed in. "What the?" Naruto said in a confused manner as he looked closely on where his fist was. Not understanding what was happening, Naruto pushed his fist a little further. The bit of tunnel wall pushed further in until it stopped and there was three 'CLICK' sounds heard inside the wall.

Naruto was confused until he saw a large square, the size of a door, was pushed a little inside the tunnel wall. Going over and placing his hand on the cold and damp rock, he pushed it forward. The door opened, and Naruto walked forward. Just as Naruto walked inside, touches on the wall automatically lit up to illuminate the room.

Naruto turned off his flashlight and walked further into the room. He stopped and scanned it. He smiled, "Look what we have here," Naruto said as he saw many things inside this underground room. Weapons, scrolls, boxes and shelves packed with books.

Naruto went over to the only but huge desk that was inside the room. There were many scrolls and piles of paper neatly packed and placed in a neat manner. "If I didn't know better, I would say this is Nii-chan's work," Naruto joked.

Naruto didn't stay long at the desk, he'll go back later to see if anything in the scrolls or papers were worth reading.

Naruto was looking at the weapons that were organised in a corner. The section of walls in the corner were used to hang and display weapons when they weren't in use. Naruto saw many weapons such as swords, short-swords, axes, hatchets, staffs and many more. There was one weapon that truly caught Naruto's eyes. A damaged gunbai was hanging on the wall with a chain on the end of its handle. It was orange and brown in colour and had red three tomoe marks in a circle on each side.

"I've never seen anything like this before," Naruto said as he looked at the ancient weapon in greater detail.

Naruto didn't dare touch the gunbai. He had no clue how to wield such a weapon, so he felt he would only disrespect it if he took it off the wall.

Naruto turned away from the gunbai and looked at the other wall. There was a large mirror, much larger than the size of Naruto, resting against the wall. Naruto's body walked to see its reflection in the mirror by itself. He didn't see anything unusual apart from one thing. His eyes.

They had red irises. Naruto didn't believe at what he was looking at, so he leaned closer. "What the hell?" he said under his breath.

Naruto tilted his head to the left and right, but the eyes didn't change. Naruto didn't understand why this was happening. Suddenly, the pupils turned into black slits. A red aura covered the Naruto in the mirror. Naruto wanted to look away, but his body wouldn't respond.

A large beastly head formed in the red aura of the mirrored Naruto and had a feral grin. It opened its huge mouth and displayed all its teeth. Naruto was freaking out. The beast chuckled darkly loudly before crunching down its jaw.

Naruto stumbled back and fell over. He breathed heavily, a cold sweat formed all over his body from fear. A few large breathes later, he stood up. Naruto gulped before he looked in the mirror again.

This time, it was the image of the normal Naruto. His eyes were clearly cerulean blue in colour.

"Crazy ass mirror playing tricks on me!" Naruto grumbled as he turned away from the mirror.

Naruto walked over to the table that he avoided at first and looked at some of the papers that was on it. "Let's see here…This seems interesting. Wow this stuff goes back years ago. Let's read this…

 _Hashirama and I have the same desire. Peace. Peace by talking and sucking up is wrong way to do it. He doesn't understand true peace. I can lead the village and the world to peace. The only way to true peace is through power. Power will show all those lesser than us that we are to guide them. It's traitorous that my own clan won't support me in this even though I carried their backs during the wars and battles. I read the tablet. I know the way to the world's salvation. One fight will decide it all. I know my way, the only way of peace will come to fruition. Now or eventually, it will not escape the fate of this world…_

What was that all about? Why was this guy talking about fighting the Shodai Hokage?" Naruto questioned after he read the aged piece of paper.

Naruto puts the piece of paper back to onto the table and sighs. "Guys dead anyway. Who in their right mind goes against the 'God of shinobi' to try and beat him?" he said before a puff of his cheeks.

Naruto looked and saw another corridor inside the rather bare room. He shrugged his shoulders and went to investigate it. He didn't need his flashlight this time as there the corridor was lit enough so he could see down it. Naruto travelled through the stone corridor with cautious awareness. He certainly didn't want to fall into a trap at time like this.

Naruto walked until he saw a dead end, however this dead-end looked strange to Naruto. He saw that it was square faced, as if it was artificially made. He walked up to it and saw that it had a worn down blue paint on it. Naruto pushed on the wall in the centre, but the wall didn't do anything. Naruto bit his lower lip and then pushed the wall on the right hand-side.

To Naruto's surprise, it moved. Naruto pushed more and saw that the whole square moved in a rotational manner. He pushed it, so he could fit through the gap that he created. Naruto was at slightly higher ground, so he jumped down and landed softly onto the floor.

Naruto turned around and saw the piece of wall he pushed out. He gasped as it returned to its original position. Naruto tried to quickly re-open it by pushing on it, but his attempts were futile. "Damn. It seems this is a one-way door thing. Now, where am I?" Naruto said quietly.

Naruto took out his flashlight once again and brought light to the room. Naruto saw a stone close to the largest wall in the room he was in. The tablet was in the centre. Naruto crouched so he could have a better look at the tablet. "This just looks like a bunch of scribbles to me. I can't even read one lick of it," Naruto admitted.

He stood back up and flashed his light around the room. He stopped when his flashlight shone light above the stone tablet. "Why is that there?" Naruto gasped out as he saw a symbol of a fan, the top part red and the bottom white. "That's on Sasuke-teme's back. That's the Uchiha's clan symbol!" Naruto whispered out.

Naruto felt that his whole being didn't belong here. Naruto had to look for the exit. He shined his light around the room wildly until he found a staircase. "Bingo," Naruto said as he hastily moved and climbed said stairs.

It didn't take him long until he reached the top. Naruto took his last step off the stairs and moved onto a wooden floor. He didn't stay long to see what was around him. ' _If someone sees me here. I'll get into deep shit with Jiji!'_ Naruto thought with a shiver. The Hokage warned him never to go to the Uchiha compound.

Naruto exited the building he was in and quickly turned around. "Damn, I had to go into their temple!" Naruto hissed out before running. Naruto quickly jumped onto the rooftops and tried to get to the clan compound walls as soon as possible. Naruto used to vandalise the Uchiha clan compound quite often when he was younger, and he got a lot of flak from the Uchihas as a result.

Naruto saw the large fans that were decorating the boundary walls. He smiled and jumped over without hesitation. He stopped at the first tree he saw. "Thank God. Now I better get home. If Nii-chan is there before I am. I'll have to tell what I was up to… and I don't want that. This will be my little secret!" Naruto said before dashing off to his house with the evening sun setting down.

* * *

 **Days later at Evening**

Kotero saw the Hokage looking tired and finishing up the last bit of the paper work as he entered the office. "Jeez, you look fantastic!" Kotero said with a sarcastic tone.

Hiruzen laughed and raised his head sluggishly. "I feel fantastic. Now tell me the mission report," he said, relaxing back into his chair.

"Mission complete. Councillor Aso Tāro is dead. Cause of death is broken neck from a drop at a large height. I poisoned him to completely restrict his body movement. Before that, I searched his rooms and in the study, I found documents of plans to kill the Daimyō and his family. The plan was to kill them on a convoy where the Fire Daimyō is supposed to meet the Lightning Daimyō, which will take place in four months time. The silver ring is also taken. I had to kill four of his archer guards. I disguised myself as a stereotypical ninja clad in black. My face wasn't shown. I had no complications in the mission Jiji," Kotero reported with a tired face.

"Very good. But poison? I knew you are skilled in medicine, but I didn't know you liked poisons," Hiruzen asked.

"They're handy, and thank your student Tsunade. I found some of her old notes on an antidote for one of the poisons Chiyo of the sand used in one of the wars. I used it to make some of my poison. Made my life so much easier on the mission," Kotero explained.

"Well I doubt I'll see her again. She won't come near the village. But anyway, well done Kotero. The money from the job will go to your account. Now please hand over the ring and documents," Hiruzen said.

Kotero took out a seal and unsealed the objective items. He gave them to the Hokage. "There you go. I have to go to bed Jiji. You should too," he said to old man with concern in his voice.

"I know but I can't too much paperwork. I'll be done in a bit anyway. Goodnight Kotero."

"Yeah goodnight Jiji," Kotero said as he turned around and went for the door. Every time he left the office, he always stared at the portraits of the Hokage. Especially the Nidaime and the Yondaime.

' _Jiji tells me I'm the second coming of his sensei. Let's hope for that, that guy was a monster. Hm, the Yondiame...'_ Kotero thought while he left the office. He strolled out of the tower and jumped to Hokage's rock to see the faces of the previous Hokage and the stars behind them.

"It sure is a pretty night, _"_ Kotero said with a tired smile. He took a deep breath and sighed.

Kotero saw that it was just past midnight on the clocktower, he sighed again and body-flickered his way home. He arrived at the house and opened the door. He was surprised to see Naruto waiting for him. "Where were you?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I didn't tell you I was on a mission today, did I? Sorry Naruto," Kotero apologised.

Naruto's face softened, "It's ok. I was just worried since I haven't seen you since yesterday morning," he said.

"Well Gai's team weren't training up to our standards and Jiji had a very important mission for me."

"Really? What was it like?" Naruto asked with full interest.

"It's classified but I will tell you that it was an S-rank mission."

"S-rank… they're dangerous, aren't they?" Naruto asked.

"Yes and no. These missions can affect world politics. The mission itself might be as hard as a B-rank or an A-rank but the repercussions are huge if handled badly. If I failed the mission today, we could have a war or a broken alliance. But you can have an S-rank mission that's extremely dangerous and the risk of death is extremely high. It all depends on the circumstances," Kotero answered.

"Oh… will I do any soon? You know when I become a Genin ttebayo?" Naruto asked innocently.

Kotero laughed hard at Naruto's question and gave him a tight hug. The hug confused Naruto, but he didn't care and hugged back. "No. You won't be doing them until you become a Jōnin. When you graduate, you will only be doing D-rank missions and the occasional C-rank mission. Don't worry Naruto, you'll do plenty of missions in the future. And we'll definitely do some together."

"I would love to see you on a mission Nii-chan. I bet you're super cool and strong and fast…" Naruto continued on for a minute.

Kotero blushed slightly at his brother's gushing. He slapped Naruto's head, "Stop that! You shouldn't compliment me or anyone so much!" he said with a slight stern look.

Naruto just kept his mouth then and just stared at his big brother. "So how was your day?" Kotero asked.

Naruto swallowed some built up saliva, "It was alright. I did some training after the academy and then walked around the forests of Konoha," Naruto replied smoothly, not revealing anything from his explorations.

Kotero smiled and messed Naruto's hair, "I'm proud of you!" he said with a smile.

"I'm proud of you too!" Naruto said with his own big smile.

Kotero had to force himself not to tear up at his little brother's words. ' _God damn Naruto! My only weakness!' h_ e thought with a smile.

"You know. I love you so much and nothing is ever going to change that," Kotero said while ruffling Naruto's hair some more. "Now, we should get to bed. We need our sleep for the day of training ahead of us!" Kotero cheered out.

"YEAH!" Naruto also cheered as the two Uzumaki brothers went up the stairs.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	7. Chapter 7 - Revelations

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto._** _ **All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 7 - Revelations**

"Why won't this work!?" Naruto yelled in frustration. Stomping his feet onto the dirt ground, Naruto was muttering curse words under his breath. Eventually, he calmed down and sighed deeply. "Why can't I do this jutsu? It should be the easiest," Naruto complained as he sat on the ground.

Naruto heard the noise of a turned handle and looked at his house. Naruto saw the glass sliding door that lead into his house slide open. His older brother strolled out with his hands in his pockets, "Naruto, is there something wrong?" Kotero asked as he stood in front of Naruto.

Naruto got off the floor and started to explain his terrible problem with hand gestures and over-dramatic action poses. Kotero was nodding along with the story.

"So, tomorrow is your graduation, you can do everything on the exam. Except you need to pass the ninjutsu section of the exam or you fail, which includes the **clone technique** , but you can't do it correctly as they're always sick looking. Am I correct?" Kotero asked Naruto after Naruto finished his piece.

"Yes Nii-chan. Iruka-sensei told me that it was an essential part of the exam and I'll fail if I don't perform it correctly," Naruto told his older brother.

Kotero sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. He had to tell Naruto the truth. "Naruto, it is virtually impossible for you to perform that technique, even if we improved your chakra control," he told Naruto bluntly.

Shock was coursing through Naruto's face, "What! WHY!?" Naruto demanded with a loud voice.

Kotero covered his ears from the sound increase, ' _Still so loud!'_ he thought.

"Naruto what did I tell about the Uzumaki clan when we first met two years ago," Kotero asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto only needed a second to answer. "Usually have red hair, super strong lifeforce, huge chakra reserves," he stated out proudly.

Kotero smiled. "Good, now think of your last answer. Why can't you perform this specific technique?" Kotero asked if he was a teacher.

Naruto thought for a few seconds, his face was focused on finding the answer, then suddenly it softened and then he smiled, "Too much chakra!" he said out loud.

Kotero started to clap his hands. "And we got a winner! Yes Naruto, you can't control so little chakra from your huge reserves. That's why your clones look dead. The output is too much, and the images can't handle the overload, so they appear sick," he said with a happy face.

Naruto was happy until he realised something. "Wait! If I can't perform this then I can't graduate!" he cried out fearing the worst.

"Jeez Naruto. Calm the hell down! We have a solution for this," Kotero said reassuringly to Naruto.

"Solution? I can pass without it?"

"Sure you can! I'll teach you a better clone technique. One that I think you will love!"

"Really! Teach me, teach me, teach me!"

"I was planning on doing that Naruto! Now shut up and let me tell you about the **Shadow clone technique.** "

"Shadow clones? What do they do?"

"These clones are different from the clones from that technique you learnt in the academy. Instead of projections, these are solid copies of your chakra system and body. Meaning they can control themselves and they all act and think like you. You can think of it as making an identical twin in every single way with just chakra. Pretty amazing huh?"

"Amazing! That sounds so much better than the normal one."

"I know, it's a great jutsu. The Nidaime Hokage made the technique. He was good friends with our great-great grandfather and gave him the technique in exchange for some help with fuinjutsu and space-time ninjutsu,"

"Woah… So, when can I learn it?"

"You better learn it now, we don't want you to fail. Now you must make unique hand seal. Bend both the pinkie and ring finger on both hands like this. Then you make a plus sign with the left hand behind the right hand like this. The left hand's finger should be horizontal and the right hand's fingers are vertical. Now try it out," Kotero ordered with a calm voice.

Naruto did exactly what his older brother said and tried it many times, trying to let be natural to him. "Now what do I do?" Naruto asked.

"Well you can't just make a hand seal and expect a clone to appear. We must manipulate our chakra even further to make the clone. When making the sign, it helps condense the chakra. With this condensed chakra, we have to try and push it out through our chakra system. You must think of it being forced out. It's a difficult concept to grasp I know. But you will get the hang of it. Now watch me," Kotero said as he made the hand seal and produced four Koteros, two on each side of the original.

"Wow! I can do that!?"

"You will, now practice here and I'll give you tips. Go on!" Kotero encouraged Naruto as he sat in front of the blond.

Naruto then practiced for about three hours and his chakra was beginning to ween. He was sweating bullets. Kotero knew Naruto would have difficulty but he wanted to test something. A month ago, they tested Naruto's chakra affinity and found that he was a wind type.

When Kotero told him that it was a rare affinity type and the way the paper cut in half with a sharp noise, it meant that it was naturally strong, especially for someone young like him. Naruto was overjoyed and felt like the king of the world. Kotero made Naruto do the first step in mastering the element by cutting a leaf with just his chakra.

After he gave him tips on how he should imagine his chakra to be thin, sharp and sleek, it only took Naruto two weeks to split the leaf in half. Kotero was awestricken at the skill and made sure it was legit by making Naruto do it five times in a row. Kotero was so proud that he taught Naruto a C-rank wind jutsu, **Wind release: Great breakthrough**.

Naruto constantly practiced the technique after the academy for hours on end and got it to a great standard. Kotero was so impressed he treated Naruto to an all-you-can-eat Ramen marathon.

Kotero believed that Naruto was able to succeed was because he put his heart and soul into it, dedicating himself to the goal. Kotero thought that if Naruto could learn the shadow clone technique in less than a day then it just confirms again how the village wasted a great potential before he came.

Naruto took a break and sat on the ground facing his older brother, "Nii-chan, it's really hard ttebayo!" he grunted out.

"Well if it was easy then everyone would learn it. It uses a lot of chakra so take five minutes. If you were any other academy student, you would die."

"Did you just say… DIE!?"

"Yep, don't worry though. You have so much chakra you can make hundreds of these clones and only feel slightly winded, if even. That's the **Multi-shadow clone technique**. It's the same technique but you condense more chakra and produce lot's more clones."

"So, I can have my own one-man army then?"

"Yes, you can Naruto. Smart thinking, but I wouldn't want to rely on it in combat. One direct hit and it puffs away. Its main purpose was for spying."

"Still, it'll be great for distractions and overwhelming your enemies dattebayo."

"Yeah, I can see you using it like that. Hopefully and with the training you did over the last two years will help you survive out in the field."

"Hm. It will. You know it."

Kotero did know it. If Kotero had to say, Naruto is the strongest twelve-year old he knew. If he had to put him on the ninja ladder, he would have him at Chūnin already. He only needs experience with a team and get some missions under his belt. His shurikenjutsu has been perfect for months even when Naruto is running around and moving in different directions, his accuracy was unbelievable, but he went through so much blood, sweat and tears to get it that good. Naruto's taijutsu was superb.

However, he couldn't fully utilise the Uzuken because of his short limbs, standing tall at four foot and eight-and-a-half inches, Naruto had a short reach and struggled to grapple. But when he did, he was deadly.

Because of his short height, Kotero focused on reflex and dodge training for Naruto. Ultimately it was Kotero using Naruto as a training dummy when he practised his punches, kicks and chops to improve his own taijutsu, Naruto had to dodge every strike, or he would get badly hurt. This lead to a lot of broken noses, cut lips and big dark bruises. Naruto was never so thankful that he had a great healing factor and Kotero knew medical ninjutsu.

With that training, Naruto was quick in close-combat and was able to manoeuvre around the area well. Naruto didn't do any more advanced chakra control exercises, Kotero suggested using the ones he knows and make challenges out of them, he reassured him that he had more, but he wanted a purpose for Naruto to give him those exercises.

Naruto's physical fitness was sublime. His natural strength could snap a normal man in half and he had high speeds, something you would expect from an experienced and serious Chūnin. The thing that stroke Kotero the most was that Naruto will be only starting puberty soon.

Ninjas grow exponentially in skill, strength and speed during and after puberty. Naruto was already better than all his classmates and he's one of the youngest and shortest. It's been two years since Kotero has come to Konoha and united with Naruto. And both are much different people from when they first met. They know it, but both have helped each other out so much, emotionally and physically that their bond of love is unbreakable.

"Naruto get back to work. You can't fail tomorrows exam," Kotero ordered.

"Fine… you treat like a slave ttebayo," Naruto said with only a hint of irritation.

"You asked for good training and I give it to you. What the hell am I supposed to do? Give you massages and tell you how great you are?"

"No… but that would be nice occasionally," Naruto giggled out as he stood up and went back to practising.

Kotero groaned at Naruto's response but stopped himself from slapping the blond for being cheeky. He watched intently at Naruto, seeing that he was struggling. Naruto practised for half an hour until suddenly.

"What the?" a new Naruto said.

Naruto was shocked that he did it and Kotero smiled. "You did it Naruto! And look he's a perfect copy," Kotero said as he looked over the new Naruto. Naruto couldn't say a word, amazed he could do it after being told how dangerous and difficult the jutsu is.

Kotero then punched the new Naruto in the face and he flew back and hit the tree, the Naruto then puffed into smoke, leaving a crack mark on the tree he crashed into. Naruto's face slightly scrunched from some discomfort. "What the hell?" he said as he rubbed his face.

Kotero smiled, "Any pain your clone gets, goes back to you in memory. A phantom sensation. The only real downfall of this jutsu. But... If he was the real you, you would have a bloody nose and broken cheekbones."

"Jeez Nii-chan. You're a great brother," Naruto said sarcastically.

Kotero ignored the jab, "How do you feel? Chakra wise?" he asked.

"Fine, I'm tired for trying it so much but the clone didn't take much."

"Good. Make five more please," Kotero asked, looking down at his brother.

"Yosh! Five Narutos coming dattebayo!" Naruto shouted. He put his fingers together in the cross hand seal. " **Shadow Clone Jutsu** **,** " he said. Four Narutos puffed into existence.

Kotero chuckled slightly, "Seems like you aren't used to it. That's understandable. We'll keep practicing until you have a really good grasp on it," Kotero said encouragingly.

Naruto just nodded and got into position. Naruto practised and practised, it wasn't that hard with the smaller numbers but as they got larger it was getting more troublesome. After his first success, he tried to make five again and got it right. He then tried ten clones and made eleven. He eventually got it on his fourth go.

Then he had to make twenty clones, he struggled, he was always making nineteen or twenty-one. It was never the exact twenty.

Of course, with patience Naruto accomplished it. Kotero was pleased with twenty being the benchmark of maximum clones to make at once for this exercise. Kotero then asked for random numbers between five and twenty like seven or was a total pain in the ass for the aspiring ninja.

Naruto was steadily improving, but then collapsed on one knee from the lack of chakra.

"Great work Naruto, mastering a B-rank jutsu in less than one day is very impressive. Even if have a brilliant teacher much like myself," Kotero said with a smile and his head nodding.

"Thanks Nii-chan... Means a lot!" Naruto tiredly said, there were a few huffs and puffs inbetween words. He then sat on the ground to catch his breath. with instinct, Naruto caught an energy protein bar and a bottle of water that were thrown straight at him.

"So, how are Chōji and Shikamaru holding up? Might as well tell me the other clan kids while you're at it," Kotero asked Naruto.

"Chōji is nervous and Shikamaru doesn't care but we both know they'll pass. The other kids I don't really know, but they'll pass. They all think I'm going to fail with my acting dattebayo!"

"Hm, they all have the surprise of their life. I still can't believe Iruka found out it was all an act. That guy is wasting his potential teaching you… no offense."

"None taken Nii-chan. Iruka-sensei is good, he can be boring but he when he insisted on giving me extra lessons, I didn't think all my training would come so naturally like that and blow his mind. At least he agreed to keep it a secret."

"Why wouldn't he? He understands where you're coming from and you're his favourite pupil."

"He never admits it though, but he treats me to ramen and none the others. Best teacher ever!"

"Whatever… So, who're you hoping to be on your team."

"You."

"Hehe Naruto, don't be stupid and answer me."

"Who do you think? Shikamaru and Chōji."

"You know Genin teams always have at least one kunoichi."

"Really!? Damn… Well I don't want any of the girls in my class."

"Because they're fangirls to Sasuke? Maybe if you hang around them, they might become your fangirls."

"I don't want fangirls Nii-chan! They're annoying dattebayo."

"Well maybe if you had some, you would think differently," Kotero said with a cheeky grin.

"If you had some fangirls, you would think the same thing!" Naruto said quietly at the end, looking down to the ground. "Girls are stupid! Who needs them?" Naruto added after with some disgust. He looked at his brother's face to see it was sad and dejected.

' _Me and my big mouth,_ ' Naruto thought whilst biting his lower lip. "Sorry Nii-chan… I didn't mean to say it like that," he said afterwards, he was genuinely sorry.

Kotero smiled softly and wrapped his arm around Naruto, sitting right beside him. "Naruto, don't worry. That was in the moment. And you're the only one I would ever talk about Kumi-chan with. It's been over two and a half years. I shouldn't still get depressed over it," Kotero said with some sadness to his voice. "It's not like that landslide and fire was ever supposed to happen when I was gone from that town."

"You still miss her?" Naruto asked, looking up to him.

"Of course, I miss her. But she… needed to rest in peace, she was the one who asked me to do it as well. If she was still alive, she would have loved you."

"You say that every time."

Kotero turned his head and looked into Naruto's eyes directly "Because it's true. She would have used you like a teddy bear when she goes for naps," He said with a cheerful smile.

"You may think that's cute, but it's really disturbing…" Naruto groaned out.

Kotero ignored the jab, "And Kumi-chan and Mum wouldn't want me to wallow in depression. They would have wanted me to move on, find you and find another woman."

"How come the women in your life are so much more understanding than the girls in my class."

"Because, they suffered great pains and they could see the positivity in things. The girls in your class never had to kill, survive in the wild, thinking about food or water or if they're safe all the time."

"I suppose, but you said everyone suffers in some shape or form from something in their life or something like that."

"I know but I was really talking about Sasuke's clan's massacre or Neji's father's death. Both have suffered a lot in their own ways. What have the girls in your class suffered, I can't stop hearing about Inoichi complaining how his daughter Ino, complains how she didn't get Sasuke-kun's attention. You had to live on the streets for months, Sasuke lost his clan and Neji lost his father through political bullshit," Kotero said a little heatedly.

Naruto stayed quiet after Kotero explained his point and Kotero was getting worried. "Yo Naruto, what's wrong?" he asked.

Naruto stayed quiet for three more seconds, then his head popped up with a beaming smile on it, "I was just thinking how much pain you saved me from when you came and found me!" Naruto said happily.

"Now Naruto, it wasn't just me. You helped me through my… many emotional breakdowns during our first year together. If I didn't have you, I might not be here today."

"Nii-chan! Don't talk like that, it's depressing."

"Fine... Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Someone has a good luck present for you," Kotero said while standing up and dusting himself off.

Kotero walked over to Naruto as he took his blue scaled necklace off. He kneeled in front of Naruto and tied it behind his neck, "There. Damn, I think it looks better on you then it did on me," Kotero said with a smile.

Naruto was taken aback, "Nii-chan, you love this necklace, why are you giving it to me?" Naruto asked, it truly baffled him.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders but his smile never faded, "I don't know why... It just felt right to do so. Hopefully it'll bring you good luck. I hope you keep it safe, I had to trudge through a lot of crap just to get," Kotero said as he stood back up and rested his hands on his hips.

"Will do Nii-chan!" Naruto shouted with a mock salute.

"Now let's go to bed. I have a Jōnin meeting after your graduation, so you will have to make your own dinner or eat with your boys alright?"

"Yeah! Shikamaru and Chōji are treating me to barbeque ttebayo!"

Naruto and Kotero went back in the house, cleaned themselves up and slept like logs for the day to come.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

 **RING! RING! RING! CLUNK!**

"Ahhhhh, stupid alarm clock! Just let me sleep." Naruto complained as he got out of bed with a yawn. He did the routine of cracking and popping his bones to unstiffen them. He walked to the bathroom and washed his face and fix his usually messy hair.

Another yawn, he goes back to his bedroom and the morning sun wasn't that high as it was just eight o'clock. He quickly got dressed in his usual kit in a flash, seeing that he was fitting into the jacket that he received from the Hokage very well.

Naruto then checked his shuriken and kunai needed for the exam. Thankfully his older brother wanted everything to go perfect for him, so he sharpened them for Naruto. Naruto could see his own reflection in the kunai, they were dull before Kotero got his hands on them. He put the ninja pouches around his waist and he looked in the mirror.

' _You have everything you need. You're ready ttebayo! Nii-chan and Jiji believe in me, I can pass no problem,'_ Naruto mentally encouraged himself. He sighed deeply and went down the stairs to find his brother just drinking black tea but in front of him a light and balanced breakfast for Naruto.

"Nii-chan you didn't have to make me breakfast today," Naruto said as he took his seat.

"Nonsense, today is an important dayand you need to be good at the get go. No way in hell I'm leaving this house with you unprepared," Kotero said looking at Naruto.

"Thanks Nii-chan, I really appreciate it!" Naruto exclaimed as he dug into the rice, small soup and salmon tray. It vanished in an instant, "Nii-chan, you love salmon too much." Naruto pointed out.

"What!? It's the best fish meat, so tasty and full of the good fats. Now eat your fruit bowl"

"Yes Nii-chan," Naruto groaned as he ate the colourful fruit pieces.

"Naruto it's half eight, you better leave soon. It's better to be too early then too late."

"Nii-chan? I think you're making a bigger deal at this than I am."

"Of course I am! You're not making a big enough deal of it, so I have to pick up your slack!"

"Alright! I'll go now. Thanks for the breakfast."

"Thank me after you pass. I had new jackets ordered for you when you do missions. When I come home I'll show them to you."

"You really shouldn't have Nii-chan!"

"But it's a special occasion you brat! Now get going before I use my super-duper punch to send you flying to the academy now," Kotero threatened with a raised fist.

Naruto gulped and ran out the door, he heard a good luck being shouted at him. He smiled at this. Naruto jumped to the roof tops and blurred his way to the academy. He arrived at a quarter to nine. He looked around and saw there was a cool breeze and the sun was partially covered by white clouds. "Hm, not the best day ever," Naruto said.

Naruto shook his head side to side and entered the academy for the last time as an academy student. He went to his classroom which was nearly full, Naruto saw Shikamaru and Chōji already sitting in their places. Naruto walked to the two which was at the front of the classroom and took his place. Naruto smelled the intense bacon flavour coming out of Chōji's potato chip/crisps bag and his favourite Nara having a nap.

"Oi Shika. Wake up, you have an exam today," Naruto said poking at Shikamaru's head. He gave a quick nod to Chōji who laughed at Shikamaru's groggy state as he got out of his morning nap.

"Sometimes, I really hate you Naruto," Shikamaru said with his bored voice.

"I know. Too bad your mother absolutely adores me," Naruto says with a cheeky grin.

Shikamaru didn't even respond to the comment. There was a companionable silence until Chōji broke the ice, "Are you guys nervous?" he asked while opening another bag.

"I don't care really. Naruto? What about that clone problem you've been having?" Shikamaru asked.

"Nii-chan gave me another clone jutsu that is a hundred times better. He said I can't perform the normal clone technique is because I have too much chakra," Naruto told his friends.

"Oh? That's a good thing then. You know a better jutsu now," Shikamaru deduced.

"Yeah. This will actually help out my ninja career," Naruto said. He heard the sliding of the door and saw his two teachers walk into the classroom.

"Good morning students!" Iruka said loudly to the bunch.

"Good morning Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei!" The class said out in mixed voices.

Iruka walked in front of the class and clapped his hands to gather the attention of the pre-teens. "We are going to start your graduation exams today. We will start with the target practice outside. We'll be splitting up into two groups, with Mizuki and myself heading each group. The list is here," Iruka said as he pinned the large sheet onto the wall.

Naruto saw that were thirteen names on one side and fourteen on the other, thankfully he had Iruka as his head, ' _Thank goodness, I think Mizuki-sensei hates me for some reason!'_ he thought. All the students apart from the trio couldn't see the sheet so they had to leave their seats to check what group they are in.

"Then you will have a taijutsu spar with one of us and you just have to last for five minutes. Then finally we will have our ninjutsu portion of the exam. So, let's go outside and test your skills!" Iruka cheered out. In response he got lots of groans.

All the students split off to the two groups, unfortunately for Naruto, Shikamaru and Chōji were in the other group. Group Iruka walked over to the target dummy and various targets. Iruka stood beside a white line. "This is where you will throw your ninja weapons. Please as this is an exam, think of the others and try not to throw at anything that isn't a target. Ok, Naruto how about you go first and throw your shuriken at the targets," Iruka asked with a smile.

Naruto smiled at Iruka but then soured when he heard comments being made about him behind his back. He ignored them, he didn't care for their negative opinions about him. Like before, the only opinions that matter to him are his brother's, the Hokage's, his friend's and now their families.

Naruto saw that there were ten targets, so he took out ten shuriken. He took a deep breath and relaxed, then he threw them at the same time. The shuriken flew and hit the bullseyes, dead in the centre.

"Perfect score Naruto. Now go for the dummy with your Kunai," Iruka asked.

"Sure thing Iruka-sensei," Naruto replied.

Unknown to Naruto, everyone behind were shocked to the skill he displayed, but most played it off as a fluke.

Naruto took out eight kunai, and got them ready in his hands. There was one target on the dummy's head, throat, heart, gut and there was a target on each shoulder and knee cap. Naruto focused and relaxed again, taking in all the training he endured for the two years. Again, he threw them at the same time and the same result happened again. The kunai were deeply embedded in the targets and there was nearly no split or crack from where it penetrated, indicating a perfect hit.

"Naruto perfect score again. I would add style points if there was such a thing," Iruka happily said as he gave full marks to Naruto. Naruto laughed at the joke and went back to his group.

The group was wondering how the blond got so good.

' _Two years of having an insane training freak of a Nii-chan would get you this ladies and gentlemen,'_ Naruto thought while staring at the kids in his group. Naruto then noticed that all his group were civilian children and the other group had the seven clan kids with the remaining civilian children.

' _I wonder why they did that?'_ Naruto thought.

After forty minutes, all the students were done, and it was the taijutsu round. "Alright students each of you will spar Mizuki, try to last five minutes. I'll be judging your skills so good luck!" Iruka said with his clipboard in the air.

It went in alphabetical order, girls first than boys. This meant Naruto was last and he had to wait for eons for the other students to do their spars. He observed every kid that did their spars, so he can follow Mizuki's patterns and fighting style.

For the girls, Naruto wasn't that impressed. The only girl that gave him a challenge was Hyūga Hinata. Naruto remembered Kotero talking about the different clans in Konoha and the Hyūga have their own fighting style, the Gentle Fist.

Naruto could easily tell that it was vastly superior to the academy style. ' _Too bad she has confidence issues, she can be a great kunoichi if she gained a bit of spunk ttebayo!'_ Naruto thought after he watched Hinata's fight.

Naruto didn't bother looking at Ino's fight, like Sakura's fight and the other girls he saw before, her defence was open everywhere and she didn't put her heart into the fight.

Then it was boys. Naruto saw that Shino didn't have much skill in hand-to-hand combat, but he already knew about his clan's specialty in bug ninjutsu. Then Chōji had his turn, for a guy his size, Naruto was surprised how nimble he truly was, but his weight slowed him down.

' _If he could use his clan jutsu, he could clobber Mizuki-sensei in a second!'_ Naruto thought. There were a few civilian boys that had their go, but their fights bored the blond Uzumaki. They weren't his friends and their skills were not on the same level as the others.

Then came Kiba who had a feral grin on his face. In the fight, he did quite well, and he even got a few hits on the Chūnin instructor. At the end though, he was kicked out of the ring.

Then after another few minutes came Shikamaru. Lasted a minute before he declared giving up. This caused both Naruto and Iruka to facepalm at the Lazy Nara.

Then it was Sasuke's turn. All the girls apart from the Hyuuga heiress squealed loudly. Naruto had to admit, the Uchiha was doing a great job. ' _He's dodging Mizuki-sensei easily and is pushing him back. He's already a high Genin level!'_ Naruto thought, watching all of Sasuke's moves.

Sasuke lasted the five minutes, Iruka congratulated him but all Iruka got was a "Hn," and Sasuke went off away from the ring, his fangirls following his every footstep.

"Naruto, you're up," Iruka called out.

Naruto nodded to his favourite teacher and entered the circle ring. He got ready in his Uzuken stance. He then noticed Mizuki had an evil grin on his face, ' _What the hell is up with him?'_ Naruto wondered.

When Iruka initiated the spar, Mizuki flew at Naruto with full intent for a smackdown. Iruka was going to call Mizuki out, but saw Naruto dodge the strike with ease, even smacking the back of Mizuki's swing with his right palm. Naruto the swirled around Mizuki and readied himself.

' _What training has Naruto's brother been putting him through? He wasn't even fazed by the speed increase and he's ready for more. Mizuki definitely is going harder now than he did with the other students,'_ Iruka thought with hints of anger and disappointment for his colleague.

Naruto also noticed the speed, power and aggression increase. ' _What a bastard! I knew it! He had it out for me since I came into his class,'_ Naruto thought as he dodged a high kick. ' _Would be embarrassing for an academy student to beat up a Chūnin! Let's do it!'_ Naruto thought, he didn't care about the ninja rules of keeping your skills hidden. He wanted to run wild now.

In his defence, everyone left to go back to the classroom apart from Shikamaru and Chōji. The classroom's window didn't show the fighting ring, so Naruto was safe.

After the second minute mark, Naruto grabbed Mizuki's arm as it strode over Naruto's right shoulder.

' _Nii-chan, this will make you jealous!'_ Naruto thought with an evil grin of his own. He then moved his left leg in between Mizuki's legs.

Now in position, Naruto flipped the Chūnin instructor on the ground. Mizuki yelped in pain as Naruto quickly rolled the instructor so his belly would be on the floor. Swiftly, he put Mizuki's dominant arm under the force of his shin, exerting his strength. He then arm-barred his left arm, twisting it so it would cause agonising pain.

"Yield or I'll break your danm arm off ya!" Naruto yelled out with a hint of steel in his voice, surprising his two friends and Iruka.

"I yield!" Mizuki said finally. Naruto quickly released him and moved beside Iruka. Naruto saw the disgusting snarl on the beaten instructor's face.

' _Serves him right for trying something like that. But he's a snail compared to Nii-chan and I when we spar!'_ Naruto thought, he was pissed off by the actions of the Chūnin instructor.

Iruka didn't know what to say and gave Naruto full marks, ' _Naruto is simply amazing. To defeat Mizuki even when Mizuki was trying to hurt Naruto at his full strength was great,'_ Iruka thought with a smile.

"Alright you three, let's go in and finish off this exam," Iruka said. The three students and Iruka went back to the classroom, leaving Mizuki to wallow by himself. They were walking in silence as they entered the classroom filled with the other students. Mizuki eventually came in, not looking happy in the slightest.

"Alright, Aburame Shino please come in," Iruka asked. Shino just nodded and himself, Iruka and Mizuki went to the small examination room at the back of the classroom.

The classroom was filled with chatter. However, Naruto and friends were as quiet as mice.

Chōji couldn't talk it anymore, "Naruto… that was so cool!" he said with a grin.

Shikamaru also looked at Naruto, "I didn't think you could handle him so well, serves him right for being an asshole about it though," Shikamaru said in his slightly interested voice.

Naruto blushed at the compliments and scratched the back of his head, "Ah, I wouldn't be able to do that kind of thing if it wasn't for all my hard work and Nii-chan's training," Naruto admitted.

"Still, you defeated a Chūnin. If people heard about that they would call you a prodigy," Shikamaru said while scratching his chin.

Naruto's face soured slightly "I'm no prodigy. No far from it. I just work hard every day. It all adds up. They've throwing the word "Genius" and "Prodigy" too much lately," Naruto said quietly.

The examinations room door opened, and Shino came out with a forehead protector in blue cloth wrapped around his head.

"That's expected. Now Chōji you're next," Shikamaru said.

In the next fifty minutes, every student went into the room and came out with a forehead protector. Uchiha Sasuke came out with his forehead protector worn on his forehead. "Naruto your turn," Iruka called out.

Naruto looked to his right and saw Shikamaru's forehead protector on his left arm and Chōji's was over his head with his hair sticking on both sides. Naruto didn't really care for appearances but he had to admit that Chōji looked pretty silly with his forehead protector like that. He'll have to try and convince him to wear it normally.

"Wish me luck boys," Naruto said as he moved to the examinations room. He entered inside and saw Iruka and Mizuki behind a desk. The room had dark wooden floors, the walls had wood reaching halfway up and the rest had white plaster. It was a dull room.

"Alright please transform into the Hokage Naruto," Iruka asked.

Naruto did the signs Dog-Boar-Ram and said " **Transformation,** " and then transformed into the old man. Iruka inspected it and a smile grew on his face.

"Perfect job Naruto. I see that you practised hard. Now please use the substitution technique with that log by the wall," Iruka asked.

Naruto looked at the log and substituted it with himself with just the snake hand seal. Iruka and Mizuki were visibly shocked at the skill. "Great job Naruto… Now create five clones fro us please," Iruka finally asked.

" **Shadow Clone Jutsu,** " Naruto said with the cross hand seal made. Five Narutos came into existence and each performed their own actions. Iruka and Mizuki had their eyes popping out of their heads.

"Naruto, how and where did you learn it?" Iruka asked with curiosity dripping from his voice.

"How? I practised. Where? Nii-chan taught me it since I couldn't do the normal clone technique," Naruto stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Iruka was speechless, he picked up a forehead protector and wrapped it around Naruto's forehead himself. "Great job Naruto, now you're a Genin of the village. I'm so proud of you!" Iruka said with sincerity.

Naruto blushed at the compliment and felt overwhelming pride for finally getting his forehead protector. "Thanks sensei," Was all he could say as he left the room. He went over to Shikamaru and Chōji and each gave each other fist bumps. Yamanaka Ino was the last to go and she performed well enough to pass as well.

"Well done on everyone that passed which was the whole class. You will meet up in three days' time for team announcements and to find out who your Jōnin sensei is. Our rookie of the year is Uchiha Sasuke and our Kunoichi of the year is Haruno Sakura. Nara Shikamaru, you're our dead-last. Now, good luck on your future careers and it's been a pleasure to teach you all," Iruka said proudly to his now past students.

Everyone left while Naruto was thinking. ' _She's our top kunoichi? I thought it would have been Ino or Hinata. Damn, Sakura is really smart,'_ he thought as he stood up from the chair and walked out of the building with Shikamaru and Chōji.

Shikamaru pulled on Naruto's arm, "Let's go. Our families are waiting outside for us," Shikamaru droned out.

Naruto shook his head like a wet dog and a smile came to his face. The three boys left the classroom and exited the academy. There Naruto saw all the parents congratulating their children for passing. Naruto saw in the distance that Sasuke was already far away, walking alone. Naruto's feelings dropped to pure sadness. He knows the pain of not having parents better than anyone.

"Naruto, don't be sad. I'm sure Aunt Kushina and your father are so proud of you. Just like I am!" Kotero whispered behind Naruto's ear as he knelt behind him, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders.

Naruto's saddened face softened and a small smile formed, "I know… I just wish… they were here with me ttebayo," He said holding back some tears.

Kotero turned Naruto around and hugged him. "Me too. We both lost our parents, but now we have each other," he said while hugging Naruto a little tighter.

Naruto hugged his brother tightly, not willing to let go. Kotero started to rub Naruto's back in a circle motion.

"The forehead protector looks really good on you know," Kotero said softly and quietly.

"I think it makes me look more like you," Naruto told him.

"Is that a bad thing?" Kotero asked in a light voice.

"No… it's a great thing!" Naruto beamed out as he pulled out of the hug.

Naruto, Kotero, Shikamaru's parents and Chōji's parents talked for a bit. Mainly Kotero with the parents and Naruto talking to his friends. The time was close to the Jōnin meeting so Chōza, Shikaku and Kotero went off the meeting hall while the mothers lead the newly made Genin to the local barbeque restaurant.

Naruto and friends walked to the restaurant district of Konoha and finally found Yakiniku Q in the busy streets. The boys went inside and sat in the booth directly across the kitchen counter. Chōji went over to the kitchen food window and said his greetings to his grandfather and grandmother who own and run the shop.

"This place is packed Chōji!" Shikamaru complained, not a big fan of loud noises despite being best friends with the loudest boy in Konoha.

Chōji smiled hugely with saliva dripping out of the edge of his lips, "Of course it is! We make the best foods, I can't wait till the meat comes," Chōji gleefully said.

"Naruto, you've been quiet since we left the academy grounds. You ok?" Shikamaru asked with his bored tone.

Naruto focused Shikamaru instead of the small indent in the wall he was looking at before, "Yeah, I've thinking about what team we'll be on. Supposedly there's always one kunoichi," Naruto said to his friends.

"Makes sense… If that was true, then Ino will be on our team," Shikamaru said facing slightly to Chōji.

"Our? Wait Shika… You know what team you are on!?" Naruto asked loudly in a quick high-pitch voice.

Shikamaru had to cover his ears to stop them from ringing. "No, I don't. It's just speculation. Chōji's dad, Ino's dad and my Oyaji were a great team during the last great war. They were the Ino-Shika-Cho. I'd say there will be a Genin team like that and we would fill the spots," Shikamaru explained himself.

Naruto groaned and smacked his head on the table, his forehead protector protecting his forehead from a bruise. "Oh great. Now I won't have anyone on my team who will like me… well I hope my sensei is nice. I bet Nii-chan would know him or her," Naruto said to the duo.

The large plate filled with various meats such as sliced pork and beef came to the boys. As soon the plate landed on the table, Chōji with his chopsticks placed the meats all around the round grill. With speed greater than either Naruto or Shikamaru saw from the chubby boy.

"Hm, smells good. It would be cool if we got your brother as a Sensei, but Oyaji says that he's too valuable for a team right now," Shikamaru said as he took a cooked piece of pork.

Naruto was chewing a pork piece as well and was thinking over what Shikamaru said. "Nii-chan completes missions left, right and centre. For the first six months, he was only home for a day before going on another mission. Ever since he became a Jōnin, he's gotten a lot more higher rank missions but at least his breaks in between have improved ttebayo," he said while grabbing more meat pieces.

"He's always busy. At least he's there for you. I can imagine it would be so much easier for him to live and be alone," Shikamaru pointed out.

"I don't know. He loves family. Nii-chan is emotionally fragile, if you know what I mean. I say he would struggle if he didn't know how I was doing, despite his short temper," Naruto said with a grin.

"Well he is your big brother. Chōji, lighten up on the eating, we barely got any pieces," Shikamaru said.

Chōji stopped and just stared at Shikamaru with his mouth filled with meat.

Shikamaru's face had disgust written all over it. "You know what. Forget I said anything," he said before the vacuum they call a friend said anything himself.

Naruto was twiddling his thumbs, "So, who do you think would be on my team?" Naruto asked.

Both Chōji and Shikamaru had thinking faces before they spoke anything, "No idea," they both said.

Naruto ate a piece of beef with a mighty crunch. He was scowling at his friends. "You guys are really troublesome."

* * *

 **Jōnin Meeting**

' _This is so boring, jeez they're just talking about the recently made Genin. Every year this happens. You would think they would know how to do it quick but no, Jiji and those damn councillors love to take their time. At least Naruto is in the bunch this time,'_ Kotero thought with a sour face.

Kotero was currently sitting in the large meeting hall in Konoha used for Jōnin meetings and ninja announcements. Kotero was sitting on a mat cross legged, on his left and right are Asuma and Kakashi respectively. It's been two hours and Kotero was bored stiff.

' _At least there's good ventilation. If this room was stuffy, I would destroy Konoha,' h_ e thought with a hint of anger.

The Hokage stood up from his makeshift desk, "That concludes our meeting. All Jōnin who will become sensei for the incoming Genin teams, you will find out your teams tomorrow at twelve in my office," The Hokage said in his weary voice.

Asuma, Kakashi and Kotero stood from their pillows and stretched. "Thank God that's over. I didn't think I would ever get to leave," Kotero complained as he cracked his back.

The two others chuckled and stood in front of the redhead. "I don't know why you're complaining. You got to find out how well the new Genin performed in the graduation. I know you saw the smile that the Hokage had when he said Naruto passed," Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

Kotero smiled at the statement, "Yeah, but too bad there were quite a few complaints about his graduation. Either of you will be lucky to have him on your teams," Kotero said with a fat grin.

Asuma and Kakashi nodded at that, "That's because we would never have to train him," Asuma said with a cheeky grin. That got him a light punch by Kotero.

"Don't think I would pick up your slack," Kotero said before sighing.

All of a sudden, the main doors to the hall slammed open and a sweating Chūnin who usually guards the Hokage tower runs in. "HOKAGE-SAMA! HOKAGE-SAMA!" the Chūnin cried out as he ran to the Hokage.

"What is it?" the Hokage asked worryingly.

"THE SCROLL… THE FORBIDDEN SCROLL OF SEALS HAS BEEN STOLEN!" the Chūnin screamed out.

All the ninja in the room paled at the news. "Who stole it?" The Hokage asked in a completely serious, no bullshit voice.

The Chūnin gulped but answered, "We didn't verify the criminal, but he wore a bandanna and wore a Chūnin flak jacket," The guard said, spilling the details.

The Hokage jumped on his desk in a blur, "Everyone! Search for the criminal. Don't disturb the village. We don't need panic. You have my authorisation to kill him if he doesn't co-operate to come back. Now GO!" The Hokage ordered out in a booming voice.

All the Jōnin flew out of the hall and started their search. Kotero flew to buildings and tried to sense any chakra signatures near him. "Shit, where's the bastard!?" he angrily bit out as he continued his search.

* * *

 **West sector of Konoha**

"AH, that was soooooooooo good, no wonder Chōji goes there all the time," Naruto said as he rubbed his enlarged belly.

Naruto was walking home after his dinner with his friends, he was taking the long way around to help digest his food. It was also a more scenic route as well since a forest was nearby. Naruto was going to take a left but saw a flicker in the corner of his right eye. He looked to it and saw a green and black man jumping, having light coloured hair with a large item under his arm.

"Who is that? Is that Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto wondered as he quickly began to tail the mystery man, squinting his eyes to see who it was better.

He kept his distance, remembering the lessons from the academy and his older brother for spying and espionage. He got close enough though to see the man. ' _It is Mizuki-sensei! Why is he running to the wall? And what is that scroll?'_ Naruto thought as he jumped from tree to tree.

Naruto had a feeling of dread as time passed on, he didn't know the reason for this eerie feeling. However, he knew he had to confront Mizuki, his actions made no sense. Naruto took out three kunai and waited until he landed on the next tree trunk. His feet stuck to the bark and he threw the kunai in front of the Chūnin instructor.

Mizuki had to stop and jump a bit back, dodging the incoming kunai that stuck deep into the grassy ground. Mizuki looked from where the trajectory was thrown and saw Naruto focusing on him with his piercing blue eyes. "Oh great! The demon brat has to be the one to find me!" Mizuki snarled as he put the scroll behind him.

Naruto winced at the comment, still never going to get used to one of the names the villagers called him. "Mizuki," Naruto called out, losing the little respect he had for him. "What are you doing, you seem to be running away?" Naruto asked in a serious voice.

"Wouldn't you like to know you piece of scum. How about I do this wretched village a favour and kill you before you leave. I always wanted to gut you up since I laid my eyes on you!" Mizuki said evilly and creepily.

Naruto was very confused, ' _Kill me!? What the hell is wrong with him?'_ Naruto thought. He never took his eyes off Mizuki after that threat. "Mizuki… what's with that scroll?" Naruto asked, hoping to buy time so someone can come by.

Mizuki laughed as he held the scroll tighter. "This you brat is the forbidden scroll of seals. I'm deserting Konoha and you're not going to stop me!" Mizuki yelled out with an evil glint in his eyes.

Naruto didn't know what the scroll was, but it sounded important, and Mizuki declared himself he was now a deserter. ' _He talks way too much…'_ Naruto internally thought. "Mizuki, I can't let you leave with that scroll," Naruto stated with steel in his voice.

At that moment, another man entered the scene. "Mizuki!? What the hell are you doing here with the scroll? You know how important it is to the village," the man said quickly as he appeared in front of Mizuki.

"Iruka?" Mizuki said a bit shocked. "Damnit why did you have to find me as well?" he cried out.

"As well?" Iruka said, wondering what he meant. He turned his head and saw a yellow mop of hair on a young boy wearing black and orange. "Naruto!? What are you doing here!?" Iruka yelled out, his face growing in worry.

Naruto didn't hesitate to answer, "I live nearby and saw Mizuki moving at high speeds into the forest with that scroll, I tailed him to investigate and found out now that he's a traitor," Naruto said with disgust dripping from his voice.

"Shut up demon! You have no right to speak to me like that. You know what fuck you! Naruto, do you know why the whole village hates your guts?" Mizuki shouted out angrily to the blond.

Iruka freaked out, "Mizuki stop it! He can't know!" Iruka pleaded.

Mizuki laughed at Iruka, "You hated him too Iruka! Don't you lie! Naruto, twelve years ago, our beloved Yondaime Hokage fought against the Kyūbi and died as well, with many of the villagers. Iruka's parents were killed on that night as well.

However, there was a law passed on that terrible day, one person couldn't know about the law. You… were that person. It turned out that you were the Kyūbi Naruto! And you killed Iruka's parents and many others. How do you feel about that ya fox bastard?

Your 'Nii-chan' probably has some sick fetish taking care of you. What a fucking creep! And now I have the chance to kill you, the piece of shit you ARE!" Mizuki shouted at the end. He took off the large fuma shuriken and threw it at Naruto at high speeds.

Iruka didn't react fast enough and just saw the shuriken fly towards the blond. ' _Oh no! Naruto!'_ Iruka thought desperately.

Naruto was thinking a mile a second. ' _That's why they all hate me, they all think I'm the Kyūbi. They all think I killed their loved ones. All that loneliness. It all makes sense now… does this make me a… demon?'_ Naruto thought depressingly, not holding back tears as they formed under his eyes. Naruto was in such emotional turmoil that he didn't notice the large metal shuriken reaching closer to his body.

The fuma shuriken was about to slice into Naruto, then it stopped completely. Everyone looked up and saw a tall redhead with a face full of pure, unbridled rage. " **HOW DARE YOU!** " the redhead yelled in a voice filled with such anger that it sounded demonic. Piercing amethyst eyes looking coldly at the traitor, veins throbbing and his teeth grinding against each other.

Naruto looked at him. ' _Nii-chan?'_ was all he could think as he witnessed the shuriken in Kotero's hand crumble apart. Kotero using chakra enhanced strength to utterly destroy the piece of equipment and turning it into metallic dust.

Kotero jumped down from the branch where Naruto was residing and landed in front of the traitor Mizuki. "How dare you say those words to my brother you piece of filth! I am so angry right now, my whole-body hurts!" Kotero angrily hissed out. " **I WILL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!** " he cried out as he bent forward and screamed out in pain.

Everyone was confused by the action until golden chains came out of Kotero's back and flew at the traitor, impaling Mizuki in the gut. The chains skewered through and carried him to a large oak tree.

Mizuki was in excruciating pain as his body was being moved at high speeds. His back hit the tree and the chains continued going through him, reaching the other side of the large oak tree, bark and the wood flesh flying everywhere. Blood was being coughed up by the white-haired man, his body couldn't handle the stress. ' _FUCK!'_ Mizuki thought in outright agony.

Kotero didn't know how to turn off the chains so he kept them as they are, "Mizuki..." he said, power and killing intent behind his voice that would make others flinch. "Who are you working for?" He didn't ask but demanded.

Mizuki surprised the three others by laughing, "As if I would tell you! Fucking demons the pair of you. I hope you fucking die Naruto. It would do us all a favour," Mizuki chuckled out creepily before his eyes dulled and his head hanged.

Kotero calmed down and his chains vanished. As the chains left, the oak tree collapsed, causing a shake in the ground. ' _Naruto!'_ Kotero thought as he went over to Naruto, only to see him being hugged by Iruka, who was reassuring him. Kotero's face soured,

Naruto looked completely broken and dejected. Kotero wanted to kill Mizuki all over again because of this. He went over to where the scroll was and picked up the corpse and sealed the bloody body away.

Kotero quietly strolled over to Iruka and Naruto and bent down, "We need to go to the Hokage. Would you walk with me and carry Naruto?" Kotero asked. Iruka didn't answer verbally, he just nodded shakily, after seeing a supposedly good friend die in front of your eyes would shake anybody's emotions.

Kotero and Iruka walked out of the large dark forest and walked all the way to the Hokage tower. Naruto was silent all the way through. Kotero felt awful, he never wanted Naruto to find out that he was the Jinchūriki like that. Naruto's face was void of any positive emotion, Kotero felt his heart weighing heavier at every passing moment.

' _And with that bastard Mizuki twisting the truth! AH God I wouldn't even feed his body to dogs!'_ Kotero frustratingly thought.

The three saw the Hokage tower in the distance and now briskly walked to it. Thankfully, the villagers were now inside their homes so there was no traffic. Kotero opened the door to the tower and Iruka followed through, they climbed the stairs to reach the office. Kotero immediately opened the door and entered to find the Hokage behind his desk, with two saucers of sake and an instant ramen cup ready.

Hiruzen saw them coming when he was looking out of his window, so he prepared for his ninja.

Iruka put Naruto on the couch and looked at the Hokage and the Jōnin. "Thank you Iruka. Please go home and get some rest. I'm sure you need it," Hiruzen said with a tired voice. Iruka bowed and looked at Naruto once more. He gave Naruto a final smile and pat. Satisfied, he nodded at both other men and left the office.

Kotero picked up the ramen cup and gave it to Naruto, Naruto took it and ate one piece and then played with the noodles. ' _What a terrible day!'_ Kotero thought as he went back to the desk to get his drink.

"Here's the scroll and Mizuki was the traitor, his body is sealed. We got no information of the man he is working with," Kotero said as he laid down the large and small scroll. Kotero drank his large saucer of alcohol in one gulp as well as the Hokage.

"That's a shame. I can't believe something like this would happen today. So, what else happened? I didn't get to see what was going on with my crystal ball, too many other ninja to deal with."

"Mizuki twisted the truth but… Naruto knows he holds the Kyūbi," Kotero spat out quietly, barely holding in his rage.

Hiruzen's face immediately went dark with fury, Kotero was surprised on how quickly the huge amount of anger radiated from his leader. "Well, it seems you did the right thing in killing him. He broke the law and punishment was execution. Is that why Naruto is so quiet?" the old man asked.

"Yeah… Mizuki said that he was the one who killed all the villagers loved ones. Bastard! I wish to kill him all over again," Kotero admitted heatedly.

"Hm, let's give Naruto some space for now. We'll talk to him in a bit. Now I need to know how Mizuki died."

"Oh… the Uzumaki Adamantine Sealing Chains," Kotero said quietly.

"What!? When did you get that ability?" Hiruzen asked.

"Just there, it must have just woken up in my anger. And the chains just directed themselves at Mizuki and killed him. I wasn't thinking, I was so furious after what he did. They just came… I can't really explain it," Kotero admitted.

The Hokage smoked his pipe and sighed deeply, "What a mess!" he groaned out.

Kotero looked at Naruto and saw that he finished the cup, ' _Can't resist those noodles! Can you Naruto?'_ He thought with a soft smile.

"How are you feeling Naruto?" he asked, he then walked over to the couch and sat beside Naruto.

Naruto shuffled slightly and kept his eyes on the floor, "I feel like crap," He stated bluntly.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Do you want to talk about it?" Kotero asked.

"Why me?" Naruto asked solemnly.

"What do you mean Naruto?" Hiruzen asked entering the conversation.

"Why did the Yondaime pick me to be its… jailer."

' _Jailer, that's actually a good word for it,'_ Kotero thought.

"I don't know why he picked you. I wasn't here but he must of saw something in you," Kotero answered.

"Huh? In me?" Naruto said with confusion.

"I think what Kotero is trying to say that he saw greatness in you and knew you were the only one to be able to hold back the Kyūbi from destroying the village," the Hokage said as he came over to the Uzumaki brothers.

"How would he know that? I was only a baby ttebayo," Naruto pointed out.

"Well, he was a great man Naruto. I say trust him on this one," Hiruzen said as he patted Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto turned his head to Kotero "You knew and didn't care that I held… it," he said in a shaky voice, still not comfortable about holding a massive fox in his body.

Kotero nodded. "Yeah I knew, ever since we first met," Kotero said, telling the truth.

Naruto kept quiet for a minute before opening his mouth again, "Is that why Kaa-chan was brought over here?" he asked quietly.

' _How did he connect those dots!'_ Hiruzen thought as he sat down beside Naruto's other side.

"Yes, Kushina was brought over to be the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. Your relative, Uzumaki Mito was near the end of her age and we needed a new vessel for the Kyūbi," The Hokage told Naruto.

"So, I'm the third then," Naruto said glumly.

"You could say it runs in the family," Kotero said with a small grin.

Naruto and the Hokage gave him a deadpan look and Kotero frowned at this, "It was funny. You guys have no sense of humour!" Kotero retorted with a quiet voice.

"There's a time and a place for everything. You should have kept your mouth shut there!" Hiruzen lectured to Kotero.

"What does this mean then?" Naruto asked with an innocent look.

"It means nothing. You will still be one of my ninja, you will still do missions and hopefully you will become Hokage like you always wanted," The Hokage said with a happy smile.

"Hehe, thanks Jiji," Naruto chuckled out quietly while scratching the back of his head.

Kotero got off the couch and looked down to his little brother. "Now Naruto, since you became a Genin, I have something special to show you before we head to bed. I say Jiji needs to go home and check-up on his grandson," he said as he stretched his arms out.

"Yes, but Asuma would have checked up on Konohamaru-kun by now before he went home. But I need my sleep," Hiruzen said as he sucked on his pipe.

The Uzumaki brothers said their departures and left the office, thanking the Hokage with his help during this whole fiasco with Mizuki. Once they were outside, Kotero picked Naruto up and put him on his shoulders.

"Nii-chan what are you doing?" Naruto asked, not co-operating.

"Calm down and let me carry you home. You had a tough day, you need the luxury package," Kotero answered.

"Fine, but don't run, last time I nearly fell and cracked my skull!" Naruto told him.

Kotero laughed, "I know, your reaction was hilarious. But don't worry, I want to go slow this time," Kotero said with fake joy.

Naruto balanced himself and placed his hands on Kotero's head for extra support. They were walking for a few minutes in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet together. This lasted until a question popped into Naruto's head, "What do I tell Shikamaru and Chōji about my… resident?" he asked.

"Hm, I wouldn't say anything now. It would complicate everything. Tell them once you or they become Chūnin. They would be mature enough by that stage. Also, don't worry too much about it. Shikaku and Chōza know that you hold it. I say your friends won't care and just see you as Naruto. If they treat you like an outcast, then they're just discriminating you for a horrible reason. I would have a good talk with them afterwards as well," Kotero said with no hesitation.

"Nii-chan, that's just lingo for you killing them in their sleep!" Naruto joked.

"I know!" Kotero replied with a cheeky smile.

"Jeez, you really are a sadistic bastard aren't you!" Naruto pointed out with his own smile.

"Hell no. Don't take these threats too seriously little man," Kotero said defending himself.

The conversation continued all the way back to their house, Kotero opened the door after he put Naruto down and went inside, Naruto following his every footstep. Kotero went out to the back and followed the path to their personal forest. They walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached a spot that had a stream with a pool of water beside it. In the distance were a collection of large white rocks.

"Naruto, let's go," Kotero said as he hurried to the stones. Naruto was directly on his tail.

Kotero saw the engraved Uzumaki symbol, he cut his finger and made a vertical line going through the swirl with his blood. He quickly did the signs Horse-Tiger-Snake and put his palm on the bloodied symbol. "Kai!" he shouted out.

A blue light was emitted from the swirl and it made a complete rotation until the 'CLICK' was heard. A square shape from the rock in front of the brothers slid its way down to the ground. Naruto peeked inside and saw a descending staircase that lead to darkness.

"Follow me Naruto. Don't be scared," Kotero said as he walked down the steps. Naruto followed his brother once again, trusting in his words to heart.

As the went down and down, the touches lit as they descended, lighting their journey to the deep underground. After three minutes of constant descending the finally reached the bottom, a large space in front of both Uzumaki. "Woah… what is this place?" Naruto asked as he walked around the bookshelves filled with scrolls and books.

Kotero smiled at his brother's curiosity, "This is the Uzumaki bunker, library and armoury I built. It took the first few months living here to get this large space with some earth landscape ninjutsu I learnt from the jutsu archive and the use of hundreds, if not thousands of shadow clones over a long time. Now there's a special room through the middle of the back wall. I haven't given it a purpose, but it'll be good for sealing or medical techniques and experiments," Kotero answered Naruto.

"Wow… wait, why didn't you show me this place before?" Naruto asked.

"I wanted you to be a Genin first. I thought you deserved to know this place once you've had proof that you're a capable ninja,"

"Fair enough. This place is huge. What are the bookshelves filled with?"

"Clan jutsu, history, medial ninjutsu and other things that were given to my mother when she escaped the destruction of our village, then to me. My research and my own jutsu. Hopefully you'll add you own things to this. We will need to go to our clan grounds back in Uzushiogakure and recover all of our clan's possessions that were left behind back in the Uzumaki vault."

"We can make a field trip out of it hehe."

"Yeah a field trip. Great thinking there Naruto. We'll wait till you're a Chūnin or something till we go there. Then the Hokage wouldn't worry about us leaving for a long time."

"Long time? How far is it?"

"Well it's not that far away, it's just that I would like to spend my time when we go. No point rushing it… Oh yeah! I have my present for you," Kotero cheered out as he moved to the armoury of the Uzumaki bunker, Naruto was following him.

Kotero picked up a wooden box in front of the Uzumaki forged swords and Uzumaki clan armour. and brought it over to Naruto, he then opened the lid. Naruto looked inside and saw new clothes, "Jackets?" he asked, remembering one of their pervious conversations.

"Yeah. Thought a new wardrobe would be fitting since you're starting your ninja career," Kotero said with a grin, he took out thin sleeveless jackets which were nearly identical to his own but instead of being red, they were orange, the black swirls were replaced by a thick black border. The Uzumaki swirl was on the back of each one. There was a short high-collar. There were also black shinobi shirts in the wooden box, all fitted to Naruto's measurements. "They're similar to my own but I thought I get a Naruto twist with them," Kotero told him.

Naruto was speechless, he took and felt the jacket's material. "They're amazing!" Was all he could say.

"They are some seals in each jacket, they are fire resistant, so you don't have to worry about any nasty fire jutsu burning up your clothes," Kotero explained.

"So, I can look good, wherever I go ttebayo!" Naruto replied with a smile.

"Exactly, now let's get this to your room. It's getting late," Kotero said as he picked up the wooden box and left for the exit. The Uzumaki brothers climbed the stairs and left the bunker. The stone went back up to its original position and closed the bunker. The boys walked back to the house, on the way they were star gazing, looking at the clear night sky.

They entered the house and went up the stairs to Naruto's room, Kotero dumped the box near Naruto's wardrobe. "There we go!" he said.

"Thanks Nii-chan."

"Yeah no problem. Now get some shut-eye. You need to get your ninja registration picture and forms completed for Jiji in the morning. I made an appointment with Genzō-san, so we can take a picture together as well."

"Cool."

"Alright, I'm going to sleep Naruto."

"Goodnight Nii-chan," Naruto said as he took off his sandals and jumped into bed still in his clothes.

' _Still not very talkative. That bastard Mizuki! I just hope Naruto is back to his normal self tomorrow,'_ Kotero thought sadly as he went into his own room.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

 **SNAP!**

"Lovely picture you two. Just like last time!" Genzō said as he took his head away from the camera.

It was early afternoon in Konoha, the sun was shining and there were only a few fluffy clouds in the sky. Naruto and Kotero were on the roof on the Hokage tower getting their picture taken together after Naruto took his ninja registration photo.

Kotero went over to the short man and looked at the recently developed photos, "They look great. You always do the best Genzō-san," Kotero thankfully said as he threw a small bag full of ryó to Genzō.

Genzō caught the bag, felt the weight and smiled deeply, "And you pay too much Kotero-san, but I'm not complaining," Genzō said, making both men laugh a bit.

Nara Shikamaru climbed up the stairs and stepped onto the roof. "Oh Naruto? Kotero? I didn't know you were up here?" he said in his usual bored tone and walked over towards Naruto.

Naruto chuckled slightly, "Only looking out for your name? I thought we were friends!"

"We are. It's just too troublesome to find your name," Shikamaru replied.

Kotero walked over to the boys and grabbed Naruto's shoulder, "Sorry guys, Genzō-san has a tight schedule, we don't want the man to get angry with us. Shikamaru come by our house anytime for a chat if you want," Kotero said as he body-flickered both himself and Naruto to the entrance to the Hokage tower.

Naruto was a bit dazed from the sudden movement, "God!" he said loudly.

Kotero laughed and entered the tower, he then took a left towards the mission administrations room, Naruto following his every footstep. The brothers walked through the corridor and opened the wooden door ahead of them. They saw the Hokage with some Chūnin assistants behind a large table. "Ah Naruto, you finally came to give me your forms?" the old man asked.

Naruto walked up and put down the sheets of paper and his photograph which was clipped on the top right corner. "Yeah Jiji, here it is. The photo could have been better though," Naruto complained as he crossed his arms.

Hiruzen looked at the photo and had no idea what his newest ninja was complaining about, "I don't know Naruto, with your new clothes, you look very professional," The old man said, putting the form into a brown folder.

Naruto groaned, which made Kotero scoff. Hiruzen looked at his red-haired Jōnin, waiting for him to say his piece. "Naruto wanted to use war paint in his photo. He said, and I quote 'It'll strike fear into the hearts of all my enemies dattebayo!'. I had to pull him away from his make-up kit. Where he got it, I have no idea," he said as he walked over and stood beside the Hokage.

Hiruzen and Kotero laughed as Naruto complained that it was war paint not make-up. They were disturbed by a small child who entered the room with speed, wearing a yellow t-shirt, grey shorts, small blue sandals. He also wore a strange grey helmet and a long blue scarf was wrapped his neck, the scarf being at least five times his height.

"Ji-chan, give up the hat or you will be put under my wrath!" the small child said as he ran in with a wooden shuriken.

Naruto, Kotero and Hiruzen's faces cringed when the boy tripped on his own scarf and fell flat on his face. "Owowowow. That really hurt!" the young boy said as he stood up. He looked at Naruto and stuck out his finger at him. "You! You tripped me up!" he shouted out.

Naruto was so confused at the moment, his brain stopped functioning. "Excuse me?" he said, his face in a daze of confusion.

"You, you tripped me up!" The young boy protested out.

"No, I didn't, you tripped yourself up you… silly boy" Naruto said as he held back from swearing.

The young boy got into Naruto's space, "No I didn't, own up for your crime!" he kept shouting.

' _Crime?'_ Naruto, Kotero and the Hokage thought.

Naruto just about had enough, he grabbed the boy's t-shirt and pulled him up and looked him in the eyes. "Look here you little brat! I had one of the worst days yesterday, and now you come in and ruined today already!" Naruto gritted out.

The small child paled at the sudden aggression. At that moment, a man wearing standard Jōnin attire apart from the flak jacket, donning a pair of black sunglasses and using a bandanna forehead protector came in.

' _The Kyūbi brat has the Honourable grandson, I must save him!' h_ e thought as he ran in front of Naruto.

"Let go him and apologise, you filthy mongrel! he's Sandaime-sama's grandson!" he shouted at the blond with an angry voice.

The young boy smirked, it was aimed directly at Naruto.

Naruto's face scrunched up. "I don't care if he's the Hokage's mother!" he shouted back as he dropped the young boy onto the ground and walked out of the room.

The young boy rubbed his sore bum and the Jōnin looked at the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, he should be punished for what he did to the honourable grandson!" he shouted to his leader.

The Hokage sighed, "No Ebisu, I won't be punishing Naruto. Konohamaru-kun started the confrontation anyway, so if anyone should be punished, it should be him," He said as he sucked on his pipe.

"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious!" Ebisu protested.

"He is serious, and if I ever hear you call Naruto a mongrel or something along those lines again… I'll kill you!" Kotero said behind Ebisu's ear, somehow going through all of his defences in a blink of an eye.

Ebisu gulped and paled, "Ah… Kotero-san, I didn't see you here..." he shakily said, not moving his head to see the scary Uzumaki.

Kotero stayed silent for only a moment, "Good. I wouldn't be a very good ninja if you noticed me," Kotero said as he went back to the Hokage's side, removing his piercing gaze on the sunglasses wearing ninja.

Ebisu sighed a breath of relief, thankful that the scary moment has ended, he looked down to his right and the lack of one Konohamaru. "What the? Where did the honourable grandson go?" Ebisu asked with a worried voice.

The Hokage sighed once more, "It seemed my grandson has followed where Naruto was going," He said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Ebisu sweated bullets and ran out of the door. "Is he always like that?" Kotero asked as he sat beside the old man.

"Yes, it can get annoying at times. I didn't think you would threaten him though," The old man said.

"Really? You're surprised about that?" Kotero asked.

"Not in the slightest. I know I told you to work on your temper and composure before… but considering what happened yesterday, I say the two of you are on edge," The Hokage said after puffing out some smoke.

"We are. Naruto just wants to be left alone now. But I think Konohamaru-kun will pester him today. Maybe it'll be for the best ya know. It'll distract him," Kotero said with some hope.

"Agreed. You working in the hospital today? When I gave you this two-week break, I expected you to fully relax, not treat patients," The Hokage said with a small smile.

"I know but… I love wearing my doctor's coat, and treating people and making them happy feels amazing. Still breaks my heart when some patients refuse my treatment because I'm Naruto's brother though," Kotero said as he rested his chin on his knuckles.

"I'm glad we have you working there, we still don't enough doctors."

"Not enough people are willing to learn the arts of medical ninjutsu. And I read the reports, a lot of doctors and nurses died during the Kyūbi attack."

"Hm, I know," The Hokage said. "Kotero, not that I don't like your company, but I need to do work. You distract me too much."

"My shift starts soon anyway. See ya Jiji," Kotero said leaving the old man to do his work.

* * *

 **Streets of Konoha**

' _Oh God! That disguise is terrible.'_ Naruto thought as he saw a paper sheet with a wooden fence face, the sheet's fence lines were going sideways instead of being vertical and there was a tuff of brown hair poking out.

Naruto grabbed the sheet and pulled it, scaring Konohamaru who was hiding behind it. "Pica boo!" Naruto said as he looked at Konohamaru.

"Wow, you saw through my disguise. I knew it, you are worthy to be my sensei!" Konohamaru beamed out.

"Wha…? Sensei? I don't even know who you are!" Naruto replied loudly. ' _This kid is going is going to give me a headache!'_ Naruto internally screamed.

"My name is Konohamaru. Teach me! Teach me! Teach me!" Konohamaru repeated out.

Naruto rubbed his temples and grabbed the boys shoulder, earning him a yelp. Naruto then body-flickered himself and Konohamaru several times until they were in a clearing which was in the middle of a dense forest. ' _Thank you Nii-chan! This jutsu is so handy!'_ Naruto internally thanked.

Naruto walked in front of Konohamaru and bent down slightly. "You're in the academy, aren't you?" he asked.

"Of course!"

"Then have you started chakra control exercises then."

"Chakra control? Like with the tiny leaves."

"Yes, we're going to do that until you can stick them on all your fingers."

"No! I need a super powerful jutsu to beat Ji-chan!"

"Super powerful eh? I have one that one that could do the job. An Uzumaki Naruto original!"

"OH!" Konohamaru shouted in excitement.

"Yep, it's called the **Sexy Jutsu** ," Naruto said as he did the ram seal and transformed into a beautiful woman, she had long blond hair, busty breasts and a plump rear that were covered in clouds. Her face was luscious, and she had marble white skin.

Konohamaru was confused, "How will this help me? All you did was made yourself into a woman?" he asked despite being amazed by such a transformation.

The female Naruto smiled, "Don't worry about Konohamaru-kun. This jutsu will affect all men ninja, including Jiji," Naruto said as he transformed back to his normal state. "Now, form the ram hand seal and think of the most beautiful woman you can imagine, then wrap yourself in your chakra and then BOOM! You're a sexy lady!" Naruto beamed out.

Konohamaru was still confused on how it will work, but he got his serious face on and worked on the jutsu with Naruto's advice.

Many times he transformed into an ugly fat slob of a woman, or a skinny woman with dry skin and messy hair.

At about two hours in Konohamaru succeeded and transformed into a busty brown-haired woman. Just as well, he was getting tired and fell onto the ground, resting on a log.

Naruto was impressed, Konohamaru's determination was like his own. "Good work! I honestly didn't expect you to get it today," Naruto said as he got off the log he was sitting on.

"Finally found you honourable grandson!" Ebisu shouted as he made his appearance in front of the boys. "Now you blond brat, leave the honourable grandson alone!" he demanded.

Konohamaru felt some energy flow into him, stood suddenly and put his foot down, "No! He's a way better sensei than you! He's already teaching me jutsu!" Konohamaru shouted back. Performing the Oiroke jutsu to transform into a woman, trying to defeat Ebisu.

"I am a gentleman! That petty excuse for a jutsu won't work on me. Konohamaru-kun, you shouldn't associate yourself with a delinquent like him. You would only get stupider. He won't be able to teach you how to become a Hokage. If you stick with me, I'll teach you how to be passionate, and to lead the people. If you want the direct path to becoming Hokage, just listen to me!" Ebisu continued on his rant as he started to pull on Konohamaru's scarf.

Naruto grew a bulging vein on his forehead, being called a delinquent was a new one, but it still pissed him off. He made the cross seal, " **Shadow Clone** **jutsu,** " he shouted as fifty Narutos appeared. Both Konohamaru and Ebisu were shocked from this. Konohamaru was in awe, while Ebisu was sweating bullets again.

' _How does a newly made Genin know that jutsu? How the hell does he know?'_ he thought frantically.

All the Narutos smirked and stared at the Jōnin. " **Harem technique** ," They all shouted while making the ram seal. Then all the Narutos transformed into the beautiful blond woman. Ebisu was frozen still, not able to close his hanging mouth that hit the floor. All the female Narutos flocked to Ebisu and started hugging and rubbing themselves on him.

"Ebisu-sama!" they were all saying. This was too much for Ebisu's system and he blacked out with a huge smile lastered on his face.

All the transformed clones dissipated, and Naruto looked at the unconscious Jōnin. "And he calls himself an elite instructor…" Naruto said with a small kick to the pervert's side.

Konohamaru was amazed by Naruto, "Wow, now I can beat Ji-chan with that!" he exclaimed excitingly.

"Beat him? Why do you want to beat Jiji up anyway?" Naruto had to ask.

"Duh, I want to be Hokage!" Konohamaru replied.

"Why though?" Naruto had to ask again, that was his dream as well.

"So, people can recognize me for me, not Ji-chan's grandson. I'm always called the honourable grandson. I don't want that, I want to be Konohamaru the Hokage!" Konohamaru yelled out.

' _He has the same problem as me, but instead of being mistreated, he's treated too much!'_ Naruto thought sadly.

"Being Hokage is my dream. So, from now on, we're rivals. Konohamaru there's no shortcut to becoming Hokage!" Naruto said as he left the clearing with a cool departure and went back home.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	8. Chapter 8 - Hidden Meaning

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 8 - Hidden Meaning**

"So, this is Sasuke's place. It's pretty clean for a kid that lives by himself," Kakashi said as he scratched his chin.

"His father, Fugaku was a strict father and his mother Mikoto was already a neat person as far as I can remember. It makes sense that their son would pick up on their habits," The Hokage said as he took a small suck on his smoking pipe.

The two men were at the Uchiha district, specifically Sasuke's apartment. Kakashi had asked to see their rooms, to see what their personalities could be from the looks of their house instead of what their reports said.

"We don't need to go to Naruto's house, do we? I'm sure you know what it's already like," The Hokage asked as he went for the apartment front door.

Kakashi shook his head, "Nope! I'm happy for now, Sakura's parents were nice, her father was a bit eccentric but who isn't here in Konoha," Kakashi said with his eye-smile.

Hiruzen just sighed as he left Sasuke's home with Kakashi right behind him. They were walking peacefully through the desolate Uchiha compound.

The Hokage then looked at one of his most trusted ninja. "Kakashi, I granted your wish to have Naruto on your team. The council and I have decided it's for the best if you trained Uchiha Sasuke. I have been told many times by Naruto himself that both boys don't see eye to eye. I trust you can have them on civil terms while you train and do missions with them, that's if they pass your test," he said as he rubbed his weary eyes.

Kakashi himself yawned, "I'm hoping they will. I have high expectations for Naruto."

"Because of his brother?"

"And his Father."

Hiruzen went silent after Kakashi said his bit, still not comfortable with the half-truths and covering ups he did to prevent Naruto from finding out. "I do too. I say Naruto will be a very unique ninja when he grows up," he said.

"Hm, you know what? I have to completely agree with that. If he has really been training under his brother's guidance under these last two years, I would say those report cards are completely false," Kakashi said as they were now walking to the Hokage tower.

Hiruzen could only nod and agree. "True. Kakashi, I'm only going to warn you once. If this team succeeds, don't let them die, especially Naruto!"

"Oh, I know! That man would hunt me down if Naruto comes back dead!" Kakashi said as he shivered at the thought of an angry redhead beating him to a bloody pulp.

Hiruzen chuckled as both men entered the Hokage tower to see the other Jōnin.

* * *

 **Konoha Academy**

"Naruto? Why are you so spaced out?" Chōji asked Naruto, sitting in their usual seats in the academy classroom.

Naruto focused on his two friends on the right and rubbed his face, "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts ttebayo. I was just thinking what team I'll be on," he said with a tired voice.

Shikamaru raised his head from the table and did a quick back stretch, "Again? You should stop doing that Naruto. You'll be disappointed with any result you get. Just be patient. You blondes are just too troublesome sometimes," Shikamaru groaned out.

Naruto huffed and puffed. "It's not my fault that I'm wondering who is going to work with me for a potential six months," he said he put his hands behind his head.

"Six months? Why that amount Naruto?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

Naruto groaned a bit as he got more comfortable in his seat. "Nii-chan said the Chūnin exams come every six months. If we do some amount of missions, we would be ready to go and do them. Thought you would know with your dad and all," Naruto said.

Shikamaru's face soured slightly, "Oyaji never told me any of that. Anyway, you want to be a Chūnin that quick. The way I see it is that there's no rush."

"That's because you're lazy!"

"So, what? You're just a stupid loudmouth!"

"Hey!" Naruto nearly shouted, "I'm not stupid," he grumbled out quietly afterwards.

Shikamaru and Chōji laughed at their friend. This stopped when the sliding door of the classroom opened and Iruka came in with a clipboard. "Good morning all!" he said.

"Good morning Iruka-sensei!" the class said in mixed voices.

Ino noticed that they were missing one teacher. "Iruka-sensei, where's Mizuki-sensei?" she asked.

Iruka and Naruto gulped, having witnessed the scene of his death. Iruka readied himself. ' _The Hokage said to tell the truth. That they're mature enough now,'_ he thought as he readied his voice.

"Mizuki had betrayed the village on the day of graduation and has been dealt with. No questions may be asked about," Iruka said sternly.

Everyone in the class paled, finding out their past teacher was a traitor and had died was not everyone's good morning news.

Iruka knocked on the blackboard three times with a piece of chalk to stop the whispering that had occurred when he delivered the news, "That's enough on that subject. If you want to talk about it, do so outside but refrain from doing so here. NOW! You, my wonderful students will find out what team you are on and who is your Jōnin sensei. So, listen carefully!" he said. He then placed his clipboard on the table and looked at the list.

Iruka began calling out teams with their members and their sensei. Naruto ignored Iruka, losing interest when his name wasn't listed yet. This went on for some time until, "Now Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke and the Jōnin sensei is Hatake Kakashi," he said, with a slightly stunned eyes from the new team's reaction.

Naruto banged his head hardon the table. With the news Sakura shouted to the top of her lungs, "HAHA get that Ino-pig, LOVE WINS!" to the whole class. Not exactly thrilled with the selection, Sasuke grunted and looked out of the window close to him.

' _Why me? Why did I have to get Sakura and Sasuke, I could have dealt with just one of them but the TWO of them! I don't think I'll be able to survive this…'_ Naruto thought while rubbing his temples.

"Team eight will be Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata. Your Jōnin sensei is… Yūhi Kurenai," Iruka said as he looked at the list.

Naruto ignored the calling of team nine and didn't hear Shikamaru or Chōji 's name being called out. ' _Shikamaru is a genius, the last three Genin remaining are the ones he said would most likely be a team in the BBQ place,'_ Naruto thought as Iruka started to call out the last team.

"Team ten are Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. Sarutobi Asuma is your Sensei. Right that's it for the list. Now that you know your teams, I wish you good luck again," Iruka said as he left the classroom in a scurry.

Naruto sighed, "Now we have to wait for them huh," He said with a frown.

"Naruto, hopefully it won't be that bad. However, I don't know if you will have more trouble with Sasuke or Sakura," Shikamaru said as he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Yeah Naruto! Look on the bright side!" Chōji said as he leaned over closer to them.

Naruto crossed his arms, "You two have no right to speak, you're on the same team!" an annoyed Naruto said. "Chōji, is that a new scarf?" Naruto asked, getting out of the dumps with his observation of the white fabric around his friend's neck.

"Yeah. I got it as a good luck charm for becoming a Genin," Chōji said with a happy smile. Naruto smiled at this as well, gripping on the necklace he received from his brother.

The Genin waited for the Jōnin sensei to arrive for them. One by one, the Jōnin appeared and took their teams. Unfortunately, Naruto's team were left last and there was still no sign for their sensei even after two hours of waiting.

"Gah! Where is he! I thought they were supposed to be professional!" Sakura complained with her loud voice. Naruto sighed and Sasuke got a tic mark, a headache was coming from the constant complaining.

' _Hm, this guy needs a prank played on him! Hehe, I know the perfect thing!'_ Naruto thought as he got out of his place and went to the blackboard to get the dusty chalk brush.

"Naruto-baka, what are you doing?" Sakura asked in a forceful tone.

"Having some fun," Naruto replied without looking at her. He then placed the wiper in between the frame and door, so when their sensei opens the door it drops on their head. "Hehe, perfect!" Naruto giggled.

' _ **What a great idea! Serves this Kakashi right CHA!**_ _'_ Inner Sakura said. "Naruto don't! I don't want to get in trouble! Right Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said with a smiling face.

Sasuke turned his head to the window, interlacing his fingers, "I don't care," He said with no emotion.

' _What an emo!'_ Naruto thought with a soured face.

' _Sasuke-kun is so cool!'_ Sakura thought.

Naruto went back to his normal seat, staying away from his two teammates. They waited for another hour till the sliding door opened and a man with gravity defying hair came in. The chalk wiper fell on his head and a puff of dust was surrounding the Jōnin's face

' _This guy is our sensei!'_ Sakura and Sasuke thought, unimpressed as they watched the man pat off his hair.

Naruto fell backwards from laughing so hard. "I'm sorry sir, I tried telling Naruto not to do it, but he wouldn't listen!" Sakura said innocently despite inner Sakura was also laughing hard.

Sasuke looked away from the scene with a "Hn."

Kakashi looked at each Genin individually. ' _So what Kotero and the Hokage said was true, Naruto still loves to prank. Sakura doesn't like Naruto and completely puts the blame on him and Sasuke doesn't like either of them. This isn't looking good so far,'_ Kakashi thought.

"Hm, my first impression of you guys is… I hate you all. Now let's go to the roof," Kakashi said as he body-flickered up to the academy roof.

All the Genin were taken back a bit from the brutal honesty.

' _Maybe that wasn't the greatest first impression,'_ Naruto thought as he left the classroom ahead of the other two and went up the stairs to the roof.

Once he opened the roof exit door, he was hit with a cool breeze in the face. He steeled himself and went to sit on the step ahead of him on Kakashi's right side. The other two made it up only seconds later, Sakura sat near Naruto in the middle and Sasuke sat on the step on Kakashi's left side.

Kakashi clapped his hands together and rubbed them slightly, "Alright, how about we introduce ourselves," Kakashi said in his bored voice.

"How do we do that?" Sakura asked.

"Hm, how about our names, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams," Kakashi answered, crossing his arms.

"How about you go first Sensei?" Sakura asked again.

Kakashi took a second to breathe and looked at his potential students,

"I am Hatake Kakashi, I have no intentions of telling you my likes or dislikes. As for my dream… I have a few hobbies," was all he said, putting his hands on the cold steel rail he was leaning on.

' _All we got was his name,'_ Sakura and Naruto thought with a slight frown.

"How about you next blondie?" Kakashi asked as he pointed his finger at Naruto.

Naruto didn't mind the jab at his hair and just sighed, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are ramen, Konoha and training. My dislikes are traitors and people who judge others based on false facts. My hobbies are gardening, cooking and learning new things. And for my dream… Is to become the greatest Hokage ever so I can protect my village and loved ones!" Naruto said loudly to the group.

"Good. Now your turn pinkie," Kakashi said with a hint of happiness in his voice, pointing at Sakura.

She got a small tick mark, but she ignored the insult for now, "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like… well the person I like is..." she stares at Sasuke and giggles, "my hobbies are…" she stares at Sasuke once again and giggles even more, "And my dream is…" Sakura stares at Sasuke and squeals into her hands.

"And? What do you hate?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto," Sakura said blankly, getting a mildly shocked reaction from Naruto himself.

' _Haven't said so much as a hundred words in the last two years and she still hates my guts. What can a guy like me do?'_ Naruto thought.

' _Girls at her age must be more interested in love than ninja training,'_ Kakashi thought. "Alright, Moody Broody, what's your story?" Kakashi asked with a nod to Sasuke's direction.

Sakura stared at the Uchiha with starry eyes and Naruto looked at the sky. Sasuke's face darkened from the name he was given but he ignored it for now. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things I hate, and there aren't a lot of things I like. Also, I have one ambition that I have no intention to leave just as a dream… The revival of my clan, and to… kill a certain man," Sasuke said with hatred dripping out of his voice at the end.

' _Must be that Itachi guy Nii-chan told me about,'_ Naruto thought as he shuffled his bum to make himself more comfortable, the air around them chilled from Sasuke's ambition.

' _Just as I thought. So, we have an avenger. We have a girl who loves one teammate and hates the other. And we have a dreamer. I wonder why Naruto didn't mention Kotero at all. Is it because he doesn't want me to judge him by his brother's skills or is it… because he doesn't want his teammates to know of his brother. I'll have a chat with Naruto after my little test tomorrow anyway to find out!'_ Kakashi thought.

"Yosh, all you three have unique personalities. I like that. We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow," Kakashi said.

"Huh!?" Naruto spoke out. "Already? What kind of mission is it Sensei?" he asked as he put his chin on his knuckles.

"First, we're going to do something that we four can do," Kakashi answered.

"Really! What is it?" Naruto asked again, he was pumped to do a mission.

"Survival training," Kakashi replied blankly.

"Survival training?" Naruto questioned.

"Where are we going to train if it's a mission?" Sakura asked, entering the conversation. "We had plenty of training in the academy," Sakura stated, Naruto stifled a small giggle from the statement.

Kakashi looked at her with his lone eye, "This is no ordinary training," Kakashi answered.

Naruto was now very interested, "Well, what kind of training is it?" he asked.

Kakashi started to chuckle hard. This got the Genin confused, "Hey, what's so funny, Sensei?" Sakura asked looking at her feet.

Kakashi laughed a little more before answering, "Well if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be worried," he said.

The Genin were even more confused by Kakashi's words. Kakashi put a serious face on and his laugh died completely, "Out of the twenty-seven graduates. Only nine pass. The other eighteen are sent back to the academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a sixty-six percent dropout rate," He told the Genin.

The shock was evident on Naruto and Sakura's face but Sasuke kept his cool exterior intact but on the inside, he started to worry a little. "See? Didn't I tell you? You three are surprised," Kakashi said in a happy voice, not fitting for the tense atmosphere.

"What!?" Naruto shouted out. "So, we go through years in the academy and now you're telling us we have another exam, after the "final" exam!" Naruto cried out, not happy how things turned out.

"Oh? That exam is just to pick out those who are qualified to become Genin. Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds seven. Meet me there at five AM sharp. And don't eat breakfast, you'll throw it up tomorrow if you do," Kakashi said seriously.

All three had their individual reactions. ' _I just to show him my skills for real!'_ Naruto thought nervously.

' _If I fail this exam, I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun. This… This is a trial of love!'_ Sakura internally cried.

Sasuke's mind was blank as his interlaced hands were shaking.

' _Let's see if this improves their performance tomorrow,'_ Kakashi thought with an evil grin under his mask. "Naruto," He said before he was going to leave.

This got the attention of all the Genin. "I expect the most out of you tomorrow. Don't disappoint me," Kakashi said as he leapt over the bar.

Sakura and Sasuke were both confused at Kakashi's statement. Naruto sighed and was about to jump off the roof as well however. "Oi idiot," Sasuke said to Naruto.

"Hm, what is it?" Naruto said in a polite voice. ' _Might as well be nice to him since we're working together, but he better stop calling me that!'_ Naruto thought as he waited for Sasuke to speak.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, "What did he mean by that?" he asked with a cold tone.

Naruto didn't want to deal with this now, he had plans. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see teme," Naruto replied, not liking the tone of his new teammate. Naruto then jumped off the building and headed towards the hospital.

"Naruto! Don't call Sasuke-kun that!" Sakura shouted across Konoha. She twirled around, her face changing from terrifying banshee to a sweet girl, "Sasuke-kun," she said in a sultry voice, "Why don't we get lunch together. Like a date?" She asked sweetly.

Sasuke turned around for the door, "No," he said as he opened and left through the roof door, leaving the pink haired kunoichi alone.

"Stupid Naruto, ruined my chance for a date with Sasuke-kun!" she steamed out as she left the academy roof last.

Kakashi was in the trees watching over what happened after he left. "Hm, doesn't look good so far. For once I actually want a team, and there's not one attempt of co-operation," he said as he vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

 **Konoha Hospital**

"God! Today is full of work, work, work! Now what time is it? Huh, it's just half two. I gave the last two patients antibiotics and steroids, and I had to procure a special antidote for Izumo. Why did Kotestu have to push him into that poisonous nightshade? God, those two make my life hell sometimes!" Kotero complained while he was writing in the medical reports of his recent patients.

Kotero was currently in his hospital office doing a bit of paper work. The office large considering it wasn't the head office, it had a wooden desk with a leather chair, the walls were white, and the floor was wooden but there was a large multi-coloured rug that covered most of it, some medicinal ingredients and herbs on the windowsill, and lots of filing cabinets filled with Kotero's patient's medical history.

The bookshelves were filled to full capacity with medical textbooks about everything and anything to do with the human body and medicine. There was also a couch in front of his desk, personally he preferred the couch than lots of chairs. It was the comfortable choice.

Kotero was scribbling in the reports with his pen. He was wearing his normal knee-high boots and black shinobi pants, however instead of his black shinobi shirt, his thin sleeveless jacket and Jōnin flak jacket. He wore a red buttoned shirt with his doctor coat over it, the sleeves of both were done up to his elbow. His wrist bracers were gone but instead he wore leather and old Uzumaki charm bracelets. His forehead protector was still proudly worn on his forehead.

The hospital granted Kotero an office with the excellent service he provided from the last two years. The large office space before was completely unoccupied so he had no complaints whatsoever.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. ' _I don't think I have an appointment with anyone now,'_ Kotero thought. "Come in," he said as he kept his head down. The door opened, and it revealed to be Naruto, his face looking like he smelled something bad.

"Naruto! How are you doing? Did you meet your Sensei? Who was it? Come on take a seat, I'll prepare some tea," Kotero excitedly said as he ran to the kettle, got two cups ready with tea bags in them and started to boil the water. He was overjoyed to see his little brother. The day was beginning to get dull and Naruto always brought some form of spice to his life.

Naruto went inside, closing the door behind him. Moving to the couch and proceeding to lie on it and did a big sigh. "I'm alright. Yes, I did. His name is Hatake Kakashi. Thanks for the tea," he said with a sulk.

Kotero chuckled as he brought over Naruto's tea and placed it on the small table near the couch. "Kakashi. I'm glad you got him to be honest," Kotero said with a sly grin as he went back to behind his desk and sat behind it.

Blowing some of the steam off his tea and staring into the deep blackness of his hot beverage, he exhaled heavily with a smile. "He'll treat you well. He's a very good friend of mine. And Kakashi is a very smart man. You will learn a lot from him," Kotero said happily, knowing one of his good friends is taking the reins on Naruto's career.

Naruto groaned as he sat up and blew some air into his own tea. "That's if I pass his test. He says there's a sixty-six percent chance of failing dattebayo," he complained.

"Really! He said that. Well, all of the teams he tested before have failed," Kotero said taking one quick sip of the black lava in his mug.

Naruto paled at the fact. "All of his teams failed… WHAT!?" he screamed out, thankfully for Kotero not spilling one drop of tea.

"Yeah, he failed every team he had. He will put you between a rock and a hard place. The test will force you to test your morals and intelligence. He'll say something like 'Think underneath the underneath' or something like that. But I wouldn't worry if I were you Naruto," Kotero reassured him

"How can you have so much faith in me? I'll probably fail like all the rest."

"Why are you thinking so negatively before you even tried? You already know the answer that will solve the test. You'll see it once you start your test."

"What's the answer then?"

"Nah, I'm not going to tell. What's the point of helping you when you must work this out by yourself. Anyway, who's your team?"

"Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said grumpily.

Kotero was surprised, evident by his one raised eyebrow, "Really? Wow, that goes against the grain," he said as he drank his tea.

"What ya mean?" Naruto asked.

"He was rookie of the year and she was the top kunoichi. The third member is supposed to be the worst graduated Genin, or the dead-last. But, your reports say that you were average, in the middle. Technically, Shikamaru should be on that team."

"He should be huh? He's on the new Ino-Shika-Cho or something like that."

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. However, now that you say that, it makes sense why Sasuke is on Kakashi's team."

"Why Nii-chan?"

"Hm, alright Naruto, I'll spill the beans but don't tell anyone, yeah? Kakashi has the Sharingan which is the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit. It's a dōjutsu that grants the user to copy jutsu and have better reaction times.

It really is over powered if used properly. That covered part of his face hides it. Kakashi is a member of the Hatake clan, so the sharingan isn't part of his DNA at all. If used, it causes a big strain on his chakra. He won't use it against any of you tomorrow. Even though you're strong Naruto. Kakashi was a Jōnin by your age. Don't underestimate him for even a second," Kotero explained.

"So Sasuke has this Sharingan?" Naruto asked.

"He could. I read in the old Uzumaki archive scrolls that a tramatic event must occur for the eyes to activate. So, seeing the death of a loved one or getting extremely stressed out. This was during the Warring States period, so it might be dated information."

"That's grim. Oh… I think Kakashi is trying to play games with the team already!"

"Oh? Sounds like fun. So, like what? Jenga?"

"Nii-chan seriously! I meant trying to separate us already dattebayo. He said he expected the most out of me tomorrow at our survival training. Sasuke tried asking me about it but aggressively. It's like Sensei wants us to fail."

"No. Far from it. He just wants a team that aren't idiots. So far Sasuke is being an idiot by being too big-headed. Hopefully he can sort it out. He can be an excellent ninja, it's in his blood."

"Somehow, I don't think that'll ever happen. You could say that's in his blood."

"And the Sakura girl. What was she like?"

"I haven't talked to her in two years basically and she still hates my guts. And in our introductions, she couldn't put her eyes off Sasuke and she kept giggling."

Kotero sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Kakashi will have his work cut out for him. Her fangirl persona will hold her back. Like with Sasuke's arrogance, scratch that, if he got rid of his lone-wolf mentality and she gets rid of her fangirl traits then she can become a very good kunoichi. Hell, you guys could become the most powerful team in Konoha history and surpass the Legendary Sannin.

Too bad she has miniscule chakra reserves, she has her excellent chakra control according to her reports, amazing control in fact. But she wouldn't be one percent of yours or mine Naruto. It's kind of scary isn't it."

"Well we have Uzumaki blood flowing through our veins. And since I'm a Jinchūriki, I must have more than the normal ninja."

"You stole my book about the bijū didn't you?" Kotero asked with his eyes focusing on Naruto.

"Well, I should know a bit about it ttebayo," Naruto replied.

"Yeah... good thinking," Kotero said with a smile.

"It also helps you have excellent chakra control, you don't need to use as much, and your reserves are massive. We're stamina freaks."

"We sure are! So what time do you have the test on?"

"Five in the morning," Naruto said grimly.

Kotero chuckled slightly, "And what else did he say?" Kotero asked.

"Huh? Oh, not to eat breakfast,"

"Naruto, you're one observant kid. He is already playing games for tomorrows test."

"What do you mean Nii-chan?"

"Don't worry, just head to the training ground at around… ten in the morning and don't skip breakfast. Just trust me on this one," Kotero said with a wink, remembering the past stories of Kakashi's Genin test.

Naruto didn't know why he was given different orders from his brother but if there was anyone he trusted, it was Kotero. Naruto nodded and finished off his tea. "Do you think I should go full power on Sensei?" he asked.

Kotero tapped his lip, "Yes, you will need to. I was hoping you would show off your skills in one of the upcoming Chūnin exams, but it seems like you will have to perform if you want this time to stick together. We'll just have to make you more powerful when those exam finals swing by."

"Oh great! You're saying the whole test is riding on me."

"Pretty much. And go all out. I asked Jiji to seal up your ninja records, make them special because of your Jinchūriki status. Only those permitted, so the Hokage, myself and a handful of trusted Jōnin are only allowed to look at them."

"Why go through so much trouble Nii-chan?"

"Hm, it'll take too long to explain the full story, but I'll give the short version. Naruto, as much as you don't want to hear this, a Jinchūriki is seen as a symbol of power. A political chest piece. Every major hidden village has a Jinchūriki. For example, Sunagakure has the one-tail bijū, the Ichibi, his recorded name is Shukaku. And Iwagakure, Kumogakure and Kirigakure have two Jinchūriki each. The final of the nine Jinchūriki is in Takigakure, the nanabi Jinchūriki.

The reason for why they are all spread out is because Senju Hashirama restrained most of them and traded them to the other villages for peace offerings and to balance the power. This worked until greed came into play and the first great shinobi war occurred. So, you see Naruto, you are a very important person. And I don't want any assholes messing with my little brother by getting personal information, so that is why I asked for this."

"Oh… Thanks."

"Naruto… you want some ramen?"

Naruto's glum expression turned to a happy one in an instant, "Your wallet better be full Nii-chan. Cause I'm starving!" he cried out.

Kotero just laughed and got off his chair. He walked to the door with Naruto in front of him. They left the office and Kotero used his high security seals to close the office properly. The Uzumaki brothers then left the Hospital to fill their systems with the delicious noodles.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

"Ah, where is Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-baka!?" Sakura shouted out as she stomped back to her backpack, where Sasuke was standing with his own.

It was about quarter past ten and the sun was high in the sky. There were very little clouds and a slow cool breeze was passing through training grounds seven.

"Sakura, don't be so loud. It's still morning," Naruto complained as he appeared out of nowhere.

Sakura turned around to see the blond who was yawning. She went and try to bonk him on the head, "Naruto-baka, you're late," she nearly screamed out.

Naruto dodged the punch and kept going to where Sasuke was standing. "Is Kakashi-sensei here?" he asked.

Surprisingly, Sasuke was the one to answer. "No," he said with a hint of venom, Sasuke did not like to be kept waiting.

"Then… I'm early!" Naruto said with a big smile. Naruto went over to the nearest tree and laid down by the trunk.

The two others ignored him while they waited for the tardy Jōnin.

An hour passed and there was no change. The tension grew exponentially between the three Genin. It seemed that they were about to explode.

"Hi, my cute little Genin," Kakashi said with no emotion behind those words, appearing out of thin air.

Sakura was the first to react, "You're late!" she shouted pointing at him. Naruto got off the trunk of the tree and walked to where everyone else was.

"A black cat crossed my path so… I had to take the long way around!" Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

Sakura grumbled. Naruto and Sasuke couldn't believe the terrible lie they were just told.

"Well… Let's move on," Kakashi said as he moved to a wooden stump near the Genin. He whipped out an alarm clock reading quarter past eleven. "The alarm is set at twelve PM," he said.

Kakashi reached deep into his pocket and took out two silver coloured bells, "Your goal for today is to get these bells off me. Whoever doesn't get one, doesn't get lunch," Kakashi said after he shook the bells and pointed at the bento boxes. "Also, he or she will be tied and will have to watch the others eat in front of them," he said.

Sakura's and Sasuke's stomachs grumbled but Naruto's didn't.

"Naruto, I thought I told you to skip breakfast," Kakashi said with a furrowed brow.

Naruto just smirked, "Sorry Sensei, I was ordered to eat food just before 10 AM," Naruto said, the smirk never leaving his face.

' _Kotero must have had a hand in this. That bas-, better not say that,'_ Kakashi thought with the shake of his head. "Well if it's an order than alright," he said with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Kakashi-sensei, that's not fair!" Sakura protested.

"Life's not fair Sakura," Kakashi said with his bored tone.

Sakura huffed but noticed something about the test, "Wait Sensei, why is there only two bells?" she asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled at this, "Well it just means that one will definitely got tied to the post. That person will fail since they failed the mission. It could be all three or just one of you. We'll know at the end who will go back to the academy. You can use your weapons. You will fail if you don't come with the intent to kill," Kakashi told the Genin, still displaying the bells.

"But Sensei, that's too dangerous!" Sakura cried out with her arms wide open.

"Sensei, you couldn't even dodge a chalk eraser," Naruto tried to jab at Kakashi, trying to get a reaction out of him.

"In society, those who don't have many abilities tend to complain more. Let's just ignore the kid with the worst score," Kakashi jabbed back.

Naruto smirked again, "Never underestimate your opponent Sensei. It might be the end of you," Naruto replied.

' _At least he keeps a cool head when it comes to insults,'_ Kakashi thought.

"All right when I say 'start' you guys begin the test. I think I'm going to like you three after all hehe. Ready? Start!" Kakashi shouted out as the three Genin flew from their spots into the dense forest.

* * *

 **Training Grounds Seven, The Bell Hunt**

' _A basic for all ninja is to hide and conceal their presence. Good, everyone is hidden nicely,'_ Kakashi thought as he stood in the middle of the clearing.

A sound of ruffling leaves was behind him and Kakashi had to turn around and block a strike from Naruto. "You're a bit strange compared to the rest. It's only been a minute and you already attacked me," Kakashi said, blocking Naruto's punch with one hand.

Naruto landed on the ground and steadied himself. "The only thing that's weird is your hairstyle. We aren't going to get the bells if we stay away and watch you. I need to beat you fair and square to get them bells!" Naruto said hastily.

Naruto ran towards Kakashi at a quick pace. Kakashi had his typical bored expression on his face and reached down into his pouch. Naruto saw the hand and stopped his attack, stepping back. "Ninja tactic know-how number one, taijutsu. I'll teach you that first," Kakashi said.

' _Taijutsu huh? Then why the hell is he pulling out a weapon?'_ Naruto thought as he eyed Kakashi carefully.

Kakashi proceeded to whip-out his favourite book, Icha-Icha tactics. Naruto was puzzled from the orange book, "What's the matter? Come and get me Naruto," Kakashi taunted.

Naruto had to ask, "That… Why did you take out that book?"

"Why? I got curious as how the story is going to develop. Don't worry about it. It's the same whether I read this or not," Kakashi taunted again.

' _Grrr! Not taking me seriously! I'm going to pound him!'_ Naruto thought angrily, losing his temper quickly to the Jōnin. Naruto ran into Kakashi's space with fast speeds, surprising Kakashi and his new teammates.

Naruto then began to do an array of quick punches and kicks. Kakashi was too fast and kept blocking or dodging blows. Naruto tried to get close to Kakashi's arms but Kakashi wouldn't give him the opportunity. Naruto was getting frustrated and increased the speed of his blows once again. He grabbed Kakashi's left arm and wrapped his legs around it, he lifted himself off the ground and used his hands to get to the bells using amazing flexibility.

Kakashi freaked and threw Naruto off as Naruto's stretched hand felt the bell's skin. ' _He's getting too fast. I have to put the book away!'_ Kakashi thought as he put his book away and dodged Naruto's attempts to hit him.

Naruto's quick punches, kicks and chops had lots of momentum behind each strike. Kakashi in an instant got behind Naruto, he was crouching with his hands forming the Tiger hand seal. "A ninja should not let an enemy get behind him at any time," Kashi said.

' _That's used for Fire ninjutsu,'_ Sasuke thought as he was watching the fight.

"Naruto! Get out of there! He's going to kill you!" Sakura shouted.

' _Crap,'_ Naruto thought as he peeked over his shoulder.

"Too Late!" Kakashi said as his fingers started to move. "Hidden Village of Konoha's secret taijutsu master art!" Kakashi then drove his fingers deep between the cheeks of Naruto's ass. "A Thousand Years of Pain!" He shouted out as he drove a screaming Naruto into the air. Sakura and Sasuke groaned at the move. The flying Naruto puffed into smoke revealing itself to be a shadow clone.

Sakura and Sasuke were taken back at the disappearing act but Kakashi was very impressed by Naruto so far.

' _His taijutsu is good and dangerous. Too bad Naruto is too short to use his clan's style to its full potential. And to use a Shadow Clone, a B-rank jutsu and for it to last this long in combat is nothing but astounding! I wonder how good the real Naruto is?'_ Kakashi thought.

' _He dropped his guard. Now's my chance!'_ Sasuke thought as he threw many shuriken and kunai at Kakashi, they curved through the air gracefully before they impacted into the masked ninja's body. Kakashi flew into the air and blood was dripping out of his body.

Sakura gasped, seeing her new sensei get stabbed by multiple projectiles.

Naruto tilted his head to the side slightly ' _No way Sasuke killed him with just that!'_ he thought.

Sasuke smirked until the Kakashi's body puffed into a log with the throwing tools embedded in the wood, revealing to be a replacement.

Sasuke grinded his teeth and moved from his position. ' _Damn, he used a replacement! And he must have determined my position from that shuriken attack! He dropped his guard on purpose! I fell for his trap!'_ Sasuke berated himself as he dashed through the dense green forest.

"There he is," Kakashi said. His body hidden behind leaves.

Sakura wanted to know where her crush was going so she pursued the black-haired boy. ' _Where is Sasuke-kun? Did Sensei already get him? No… that can't happen to Sasuke-kun,'_ she thought with worry. She then tripped and fell on her knees and saw Kakashi reading his book. ' _I'm safe! He didn't notice me,'_ Her mind was now relieved.

"Sakura behind you," Came a familiar voice.

Sakura squeaked and turned around to see Kakashi looking at her with his lone eye. She then proceeded to scream loudly. Kakashi then formed the rat hand sign and performed **Demonic illusion: Death mirage jutsu**. A leaf storm floated in front of Kakashi and swirled around Sakura, hypnotising her.

Naruto watched from the distance. Sakura started to walk in circles, mouthing off words. Suddenly, she bursted in joy. "Sasuke-kun!" she shouted out with a cute voice.

In an instant. Sakura completely paled. "No! Sasuke-kun, don't die!" she screamed.

Sakura's system was in shock of seeing her beloved dying. Tears were forming around her emerald eyes. She couldn't handle it. Her arms went up swaying in the air and she collapsed onto the ground with a scream.

Kakashi was reading from his book as he watched the scene. "Maybe I overdid it… But she should have noticed if it's real or not," Kakashi said with disappointment. "Lesson number two, Genjutsu. Sakura fell for it so easily."

"Genjutsu? A type of hallucinatory and mind controlling technique. It's no wonder she fell for it so easily. But I'm different from them," Sasuke spoke as he pushed himself off a tree.

"Why don't you say that after you get a bell. Sasuke-kun," Kakashi teased the Genin.

Sasuke and Kakashi were having a stare-off. Not far from them, Naruto was watching intently on both.

' _This guy is just toying with us ttebayo. Nii-chan said they were good friends so this guy can beat any of us in a pulp in no time. Wait… Nii-chan… He said I would get the answer. It would appear when I do the test. Hm, I can't beat him. Sakura can't even touch him and Sasuke wouldn't be a proper challenge._

 _Nii-chan always says ''My team and I,'' or ''Asuma and I did this.'' THAT'S IT! I'm a genius. We need to beat him as a team. Damn, I'm such a genius when I need to be. I'll let Sasuke have his fun, then I'll get us together for a plan,'_ Naruto thought as the next battle began

Sasuke began by throwing shuriken at Kakashi. Kakashi instinctively moved to his right, dodging the metal stars. "There's no use in just using normal attacks," Kakashi said unimpressed.

Sasuke then smirked and threw a kunai to cut a tensed rope. The rope broke, and a mechanism was heard. "It's a trap!" Kakashi said as he slid against the ground, jumping out of the way from the incoming kunai.

As he jumped away and landed, Sasuke appeared behind Kakashi, surprising him. Sasuke quickly did a mid-air left heel kick aimed for Kakashi's head. Kakashi blocked with his left hand and proceeded to grab Sasuke's leg with his right.

Sasuke turned his body hard and attempted to punch Kakashi in the face, but Kakashi blocked with his free hand. Sasuke then used his right leg and rotated his whole body to hammer kick Kakashi's head.

Kakashi used his left arm, which his arm's hand was holding Sasuke's fist to block the kick, using his forearm to stop incoming shin. Sasuke used his free left hand and reached out to the silver bells, just flicking them. Kakashi jumped back, leaving Sasuke in mid-air and saving his bells.

' _These two boys are too good. I don't have time to read my precious book,'_ Kakashi thought.

"I'll admit, you are different from those two. But I think Naruto is more skilled than you so far," Kakashi said, stating the truth in his opinion since Naruto came at him with no prior knowledge on his skills and got the same result as Sasuke.

Sasuke's face darkened and he flashed through the signs Tiger-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger and internally shouted _'_ _ **Fire release: Grand fireball technique**_ _.'_

A stream of red fire flowed out of Sasuke's mouth and a large ball appeared where Kakashi was. The fire was scorching the dirt ground and made a large dark brown circle. Sasuke noticed the lack of anything after he stopped the fire, ' _He's gone! Is he behind me? No! Above? Where is he?'_ he thought frantically, looking in all directions.

"Beneath you!" came Kakashi's distorted voice as right hand popped out of the ground and grabbed Sasuke's left heel.

" **Earth release: Head-hunter technique** ," Kakashi said with a muffled voice. Sasuke was pulled into the ground, leaving only his head popping out to see the world.

Kakashi crouched in front of the in capitated Uchiha and gave him an eye-smile. "And that ends our lesson today, the third ninja know-how, Ninjutsu. How is it? Can't move, right? Looks like your talent is exceptional. But… they say that stakes that point out get driven back into the ground," Kakashi said taking out his book again to read.

Kakashi only read one word before Naruto appeared at his side and flashed through the signs Tiger-Ox-Dog-Hare-Snake and inhaling so much air that his chest expanded greatly.

 _'_ _ **Wind release: Great breakthrough**_ _,'_ Naruto thought as a huge and powerful straight-line gust of wind hit Kakashi.

Kakashi flew back with the gust with a frightened face, the trees around him were beginning to uproot.

' _Naruto is a wind type and he has that jutsu down to a standard with B-rank destructiveness. What the hell are you feeding him Kotero?'_ Kakashi thought as his body disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

"Whew, worked like a charm. And look at you Sasuke. You look snug down there ttebayo," Naruto teased the angry Sasuke.

"Shut it idiot. I don't need your help," He said angrily, not liking the fact that Naruto had a more destructive jutsu then he had.

Naruto tapped his foot against the ground, "Hm, you're right. But I'll help you anyway," Naruto said in a neutral tone, his team-mate's arrogance was getting on his nerves, but he needed to pass this test.

Sakura came out of the bushes and focused her gaze on Sasuke. "Now, it's a severed head!" She screamed out and collapsed once again.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Sasuke asked, forgetting about his slight anger before.

"I don't know. But if you ever find out, you tell me first," Naruto said as he dug some of the ground around Sasuke's head and began to pull him out.

With a combined effort, eventually Sasuke was freed. "Hn," he grunted as he dusted his blue high collar Uchiha shirt and white shorts.

Naruto and Sasuke waited for Sakura to awaken. After about three minutes, her eyes opened, "Sasuke-kun?" she asked when she only saw him. Her body hugged Sasuke by itself, "You were okay!" she exclaimed excitedly with giggles.

Naruto cringed and Sasuke freaked at the contact, "Oi Stop that now!" he kept saying, pushing the girl away from him.

Naruto sighed, "Now that you two had your little reunion. We need to hurry and work together to beat Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said seriously.

"Work together? Why would I need to work with you? I touched one of the bells. One more try, and I can get one," Sasuke said with confidence.

Naruto facepalmed, "Sasuke. He's playing with us. If you didn't notice, I touched a bell as well. We need to work together. We would have a better chance."

"Maybe you would. But you would only hold me back. Now like you said, there's little time. I need to get a bell," Sasuke said as he dashed away from the group.

Sakura was looking between her two team-mates, she then decided to follow where Sasuke went. "Sakura? Where the hell are you going? We need to work together!" Naruto cried out as the kunoichi was disappearing from his view. "What the actual hell!? I tried! I swear God, if this is one of your cruel jokes, I'm kicking your ass when I die!" Naruto complained as he got back into the trees to hide his presence.

However, he didn't have to wait long as the alarm went off only a minute later. "What!? Those forty-five minutes flew by!" Naruto complained as he got off the branch and went back to where the test started walking to where the test began.

Naruto had the shock of his day when he saw both Sakura and Sasuke tied up on the training posts, looking at him with embarrassed and annoyed faces. "You two enjoying Kakashi's hospitality?" Naruto joked as he walked in front of the two. All he received were furious glares. Naruto could only chuckle.

Naruto felt the warm noon breeze hit the naked skin of his tanned neck. He sensed someone behind him and spun around. Kakashi was in his visage holding two bento boxes. "Here Naruto, have one," Kakashi said with an eye-smile. Naruto was cautious, he was pranked by his older brother once when he received a bento box filled with bugs. Naruto carefully grabbed the cardboard box and pulled it towards him, nodding a thank you to the Jōnin.

Kakashi kept the second one in hand, the stomachs of Sakura and Sasuke growled loudly, "Oh? Your stomachs are growling, eh?" Kakashi said with crossed arms. He looked at the two hungry Genin with a smile under his mask, knowing he was grinding on their nerves. "By the way, about the results of this training. None of you need to return to the Ninja Academy," Kakashi said happily.

Naruto had a happiness plastered on his face. "Eh? What? But all I did was faint? Was that okay?" Sakura asked, confusion evident on her face.

' _Obviously Sakura-chan!'_ Naruto thought sarcastically, still peeved on the girl's abandonment on him.

Sasuke looked at the ground but had a happy smirk on his face. Things really turned out for the best today.

Naruto sat on the ground, his happy face still on him and Sakura started to jump up and down cheering but in her constrained rope.

"Does that mean we three…?" Naruto asked as he looked up to Kakashi.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Yes, you three… Will not become a team!" he shouted out, disappointment dripping from his voice.

All three were shocked when he uttered out those words. Naruto especially, ' _But how? I performed well, and I figured out the test. Didn't I?'_ Naruto thought sadly, his dream being postponed of becoming the Hokage and working with his brother will have to wait.

"Won't be a team? What do you mean sensei?" Sakura asked.

"It's because two of you are just kids who don't even deserve to be ninja," Kakashi said with a piercing gaze.

Sasuke wanted to go and tear him to shreds for his comment, moving like a wild animal behind the ropes. Kakashi sensed the killing intent coming off the Genin and pulled a kunai and blurred beside him, pressing it against his throat. "See? You're just a kid," Kakashi said.

Sakura's eyes turned with fury, "Don't threaten Sasuke-kun!" She shouted so loud that Naruto covered his poor ears.

"Do you think being a ninja is easy?" Kakashi asked. The Genin's eyes widened slightly at the statement. "Why do you think we're training by breaking up into groups? Only one of you got the answer," Kakashi stated with a lone cold eye staring at Sakura and Naruto.

"What do you mean? Sakura asked.

Kakashi sighed, "In other words, you two," he said pointing his kunai at Sasuke and Sakura, "don't understand the answer of this test," he said.

"The answer?" Sakura said as Naruto kept quiet and a cold sweat ran down Sasuke's neck.

"That's right. The answer to determine whether you pass or fail," Kakashi said.

"We've been asking what that is…"

"Jeez, is your brain empty. I thought you were top kunoichi. You don't understand why you're all in a group?" Kakashi said with a hint of irradiation.

Naruto was now very angry, he figured out the test, yet his teammates wouldn't co-operate with him at all. Now he failed the test because of their stubbornness and lack of co-operation. "Teamwork!" he hissed out, with venom behind it. Naruto couldn't completely mask his anger.

Sakura and Sasuke were taken back by the way Naruto spoke. "Yes, teamwork. But it's too late even if you notice now. If all three of you came at me, there was a chance you could have gotten a bell. But that's too bad," Kakashi told the Genin, still not removing the kunai from Sasuke's throat.

"Wait. Why do we need teamwork when there's only two bells? If all three people work hard to get it, one person will have to bite the bullet. A group conflict will occur instead of teamwork," Sakura asked and pointed out.

"Naruto," Kakashi said, "Why don't you answer it?" he asked.

Naruto sighed, "That was the point of the test," was all he said.

Sakura was confused, "That was the point of the test?" she asked.

Naruto knew he would have to spill more information, "Sensei wanted us to be in a situation where would go against each other. He made us hungry to cloud our judgement, made comments to spark tension and only used two bells so we would believe that one of us would definitely fail. These were distractions to the answer. Teamwork!" Naruto gritted out, still very annoyed.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Very good Naruto!" he cheered out, not fitting to the atmosphere. "Like Naruto said, this test is supposed to pit you three against each other. In this situation, we select those who can prioritize teamwork before themselves. That was the point, however everyone but Naruto was pathetic," Kakashi lectured out.

"Sakura!" Kakashi said fiercely, looking at her. "You clearly cared more Sasuke than Naruto even though Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't know where Sasuke was. And you Sasuke. You assumed that those two were only going to burden you and you did everything yourself.

Missions are done in groups! It is true ninja need to have well-developed individual skills but it's teamwork that's much more important. An individual action that disrupts the teamwork will result or even danger for the teammate!" Kakashi lectured with seriousness evident.

"For example," Kakashi tightened his grip on his kunai and threw it at Sakura's rope, the rope fell and Kakashi pinned Sasuke with another kunai in hand, "Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke is going to die!" He said pressing the new kunai against the throat.

Sakura and Naruto paled and gasped at the sudden threat. Kakashi stood away and looked at the Genin. He flashed and tied Sakura again, earning a squeak. "That will happen," He said looking at them.

"Oh… you surprised me!" Sakura sighed out.

Kakashi started to twirl the kunai on his index finger, "After getting someone taken hostage, you will be forced with a difficult decision, and someone will die," Kakashi said as he put away the kunai. "In every mission, you put your life on the line. You see that big black stone in the distance. It has the name of every shinobi that has died for the sake of the village. To me, they should be praised as heroes," Kakashi said sadly.

All the Genin donned depressing looks. "This is a cenotaph. The names of all my friends are carved on this as well," Kakashi said, a few moments later he turned his head. "I'll give you one more chance. However, the battle of the bell will be much harsher after lunch. Naruto eat up if you're up to the challenge but don't feed the other two. I'll keep this one to myself," Kakashi said.

The other two were about to protest but Kakashi put his hand up to silence them, "This is punishment for not listening to Naruto's words before. I saw how you two ignored him. Naruto if you feed any of them, you will fail immediately. I'm the rule here. Got it?" he said seriously.

Kakashi left the Genin alone and disappeared. Kakashi hid behind a tree trunk and leaned on it. ' _Naruto, you know the answer. Show me what it takes to become a Konoha ninja!'_ Kakashi thought with hope.

Naruto started playing with his food, only eating little bits. He lost his appetite when his anger came and went. Naruto was surprised how much anger flowed through his veins. He hasn't been like that since Kotero came into his life. Then Naruto smiled, he loved his brother so much. Just thinking about him makes him remember of all the good times they shared and the hard, painful obstacles they endured with one another.

Naruto looked at the other two, both looking hungry, Naruto can tell by their faces. ' _As if they know true hunger,'_ Naruto thought as he chewed on some bland rice.

Naruto felt bad for the two, only slightly though. He can see the pride of the mighty Uchiha survivor was wounded. He wasn't stupid, he knew this pride will be a problem in the future, ' _Six months,'_ he thought.

Naruto began to think on what to do next, how could they succeed and convince Kakashi they are worthy of being Genin. It was already stated that he was ready, but he couldn't become a true Genin without a team. ' _Bullshit rules! What would Nii-chan do? He would feed them. Even if it meant breaking the rules and him not liking the team he was on. A team without empty stomachs is better than this,'_ Naruto internally groaned.

Naruto stood up and walked over to Sasuke. He picked some rice out of his tray and brought the chopsticks to Sasuke's face. "Open wide Sasuke-chan," Naruto said giddily.

Sasuke frowned at the name. "Naruto, did you not hear sensei. You will fail if you feed us!" Sakura said loudly.

"I did listen. But you were useless in the whole test and Sasuke used one of his jutsu. Plus, you two didn't eat breakfast ttebayo. If having a bit of food in you makes us a better team, I'm willing to take the risk," Naruto said with maturity.

He then forced the rice bit into Sasuke's uncooperative mouth. Naruto then walked to Sakura and repeated the process, but Sakura was more willing to eat.

Kakashi did a fist-pump in the air, making sure he didn't make his location known. ' _He did it! You would be so proud of him Minato-sensei, Kushina-Oneesan,'_ Kakashi thought happily. He then body-flickered right behind Naruto with smoke everywhere to make his appearance scarier. His head pooped out of the huge smoke cloud, "NARUTO!" He shouted out. Naruto turned to face him with a slightly scared face but on the inside, he was absolutely shitting himself silly.

"You broke the rule. You prepared for the punishment?" he asked with a scary voice. Naruto didn't respond, he stood still. The other two were not doing any better. Kakashi did the signs Ox-Boar-Rat and dark and full thunderclouds came into the sky. "Any last words?" he asked.

Sakura was crying and Sasuke was holding his stern face, but he was scared, feared of the masked man.

Naruto walked to the taller man, "I did it for the team. We need to be strong to go against someone like you. If it means breaking the rules, I'll gladly break it a hundred times ttebayo!" Naruto shouted out. "Right guys. We're a team!" he said, but demanded the answer yes, his deep blue eyes showing his teammates they would be in a world of pain if they objected. Both Sakura and Sasuke nodded powerfully after Naruto's piece, with Sakura saying, "We're a team!" loudly.

"Well then… you pass!" Kakashi gleefully said with his eye-smile. The Genin were taken back by the sudden change. "You pass," Kakashi said again softly.

"Pass? Why?" Sakura had to ask, this day was too crazy for her.

"You three are the first. The Genin I had previously were total blockheads who just listened to what I said. 'Ninja need to think beneath the underneath'. In the world of Ninja, those who break the rules are scum. But those… who don't take care of their friends are worse than scum," Kakashi said philosophically.

Sakura was welling up with happiness, Sasuke did his trademark smirk and Naruto could only smile brightly at the Jōnin. ' _He's kinda cool!'_ he thought as he shook his head lightly.

"Training ends here. Everyone passes!" Kakashi said. He then did a big thumbs up pose, "Team seven will start doing missions starting tomorrow," he said.

Sakura was cheering and Sasuke's smirk never left. Naruto couldn't wait to tell his older brother now.

Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder after he cut down Sakura's and Sasuke's ropes. "You two can go home. Prepare for tomorrow at nine in the morning at the Hokage tower. Naruto, I would like a talk with you," Kakashi said, his hand squeezing the shoulder a little tighter as he said Naruto's name.

"Why do you need to talk to Naruto, Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I just want a friendly talk with Naruto. I need to ask him a few things," Kakashi answered.

Sasuke turned around and walked back toward the Uchiha compound. "Sasuke-kun! Want to go on a date? You know to celebrate on becoming a team!" Sakura asked the Uchiha as she ran over to him.

"No," Sasuke said as he dug his hands further down his pockets and walked off. Sakura looked downtrodden but chirped up and followed Sasuke.

Naruto yawned, "I'm glad I don't have fangirls," He said as he sat on the grass.

Kakashi chuckled and sat in front of him. "I know!" he replied.

"Kakashi-sensei, you said you needed to ask questions," Naruto said in a bit of a rush.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Naruto, do you really want to tell your brother that badly, that you want to skip on our precious student-teacher time," he said in a fake appalled voice.

Naruto's expression changed to slightly tense to relaxed, "Yes! I want to see him as soon as I can," he said with joy.

"Hm, this has gotten me wondering since yesterday. When you were introducing yourself. You never mentioned your brother. Why?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto flinched at the question, he had a feeling that his sensei would notice. "I didn't want my teammates to know him. They don't deserve to know him," Naruto said looking at his sensei.

' _At least one of my guesses were right,'_ Kakashi thought. "Don't deserve to know him? Naruto, what do you mean?" he had to ask afterwards.

Naruto crossed his arms, "They never bothered to get to know me, so tell me why they should get to know my brother ttebayo," he said blankly.

Kakashi had to agree to some extent. "That's true, but they'll find out about him eventually. Your brother is pretty famous," Kakashi pointed out.

"I know that already. But Sasuke only cares about himself… and his goal. And Sakura's eyes are glued to Sasuke. Why tell them something they won't care about. And when they find out how cool and strong Nii-chan is, they'll have the shock of their lives!" Naruto said with excitement.

"Hehe. Yes, they would be sucker-punched once they find out. How is Kotero anyway? I haven't seen him since the Jōnin meeting," Kakashi asked.

Naruto smiled, "He's happy. His break though, is coming to an end tomorrow. He's been working in the hospital pretty hard ttebayo," he said.

"That's good. I won't be able to go on missions with him for a while with you guys under my wing."

"Sensei? Did you mean what you said yesterday? You know, about expecting the most out of me or was that just to rile Sasuke up?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and eye-smiled, "It was the truth and you didn't disappoint. You obviously trained very hard. I honestly expected less from you," he said, stating the truth.

Naruto blushed from the comment, "Sensei? I'm going to see Nii-chan now and I say Nii-chan would love to have a chat with you. You want to come?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "I would love to!" he said.

Both he and Naruto stood up and walked towards the hospital, taking in the nature around them. Kakashi had another question on his mind since the test finished, "Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto looked up, "Yeah, Sensei?" Naruto responded with a raised eyebrow.

"How did you figure out the meaning of the test? Did Kotero tell you?"

"Yes and no."

"Yes and no?"

Naruto sighed, "When I was watching how you dispatched Sakura with a genjutsu and defeated Sasuke. I was trying to figure out the answer. I then thought of Nii-chan, and how he always talks about his team or his partner and him ttebayo. I also remembered that mission a year and a bit ago where he sent his team home and stayed behind to save them. Nii-chan always looked out for his team. That's how I figured out your test," Naruto said without hesitation.

Kakashi was impressed, "How do think the team will be in the future?" he asked, hoping Naruto would be the catalyst to a happy and successful team.

Naruto stayed silent for a few moments while they were walking. "In the academy," he said. "We three never got along. Sasuke never liked me for some reason and Sakura doesn't like me because I get in her way of getting 'Sasuke-kun's attention'.

When we became a team, I wanted a new start and tried being polite dattebayo. But Sakura and Sasuke haven't changed their attitudes for me. I'll keep being polite and helpful. But I may switch team if they still treat me like dirt. My dream of becoming Hokage can wait a bit," Naruto declared as the two entered the hospital.

' _NO! That cannot happen!'_ Kakashi internally cried as Naruto lead him to Kotero's office. Naruto knocked on the door and entered without waiting.

Both saw the redhead swear under his breath as he had his ink brush in his right hand. "Fucking seal!" Kotero kept muttering.

"Nii-chan?" Naruto said loudly to get Kotero's attention.

Kotero twirled around and saw his brother and friend, his face softened dramatically, he then smiled. "Naruto! Kakashi! I take it team seven passed!" Kotero said excitedly.

"Of course! Any team would have passed if I was on it!" Naruto exclaimed, puffing out his chest. Kotero walked over and gave Naruto a tight hug, "AH, Nii-chan, Stop it!" Naruto complained.

"Never!" Kotero said as he hugged tighter, making the Naruto go purple. Finally, Naruto was dropped on his butt and Kotero went to boil the kettle. "So? You figured out the test Naruto?" Kotero asked.

Naruto nodded with force. "He performed very well Kotero," Kakashi said as he sat down on the couch.

"Yosh!" Kotero said happily, "This is the start of Uzumaki Naruto's path onto becoming Hokage!" he shouted out.

Kotero and Naruto fist pumped the air together with huge smiles. Kakashi was sitting there with an unimpressed eye. "Do you guys do that often?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto and Kotero stared strangely at Kakashi, "Yeah, all the time. Is it weird?" Kotero asked.

"No Nii-chan, people are just jealous!" Naruto answered enthusiastically.

Kotero went back to the kettle to make two cups of teas with a happy smile. "They sure are! Here Naruto (takes out some ryó notes and gives it to Naruto), buy yourself some ramen. I need to talk to Kakashi for a bit," Kotero said as he went to give a cup of tea to Kakashi.

Naruto's face stretched out with a huge grin and he ran out of the office without saying a goodbye. "Tch, still a kid," Kotero complained as he went behind his desk.

Kakashi blew some air into his cup, "A strong kid though," He said as he made himself comfortable.

"What did you think of him, and his team? I want all the details," Kotero asked, leaning back on his leather chair.

Kakashi paused for a moment before speaking, "To be honest, I think this will be harder than it was going to be."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, yesterday when we did our introductions…"

"I know, Naruto told me bits of it. Sakura only cares for Sasuke and hates him. And Sasuke is aggressive to him. Anything else?"

"Yeah… Naruto didn't mention anything about you."

"Oh? What do you mean? Not even in what he likes?" Kotero said in a depressed manner.

"Yes, he just said he liked ramen and training. I asked him about it today, he said they didn't deserve to know you."

"Hm, Naruto isn't usually like that? Did he have another reason?"

"If they aren't willing to get to know him, why should they to get to know you. That's what he basically said."

"I understand where he's coming from. They'll find out about me sometime soon anyway."

"I'm sure they will! What else do you want to know?"

"The actual test. What were the skills of Sakura and Sasuke? I'm very interested if they actually gel well skill-wise."

"Well prepare to be disappointed. Sakura did very little if at all. I caught her in a D-rank genjutsu and then she fainted. Sasuke on the other hand… was very impressive."

"Hm, go on."

"For a ninja working solo, he can do very well. He formed a trap and I fell for it. Then he did an array of taijutsu moves, using his flexibility well. He actually touched one of the bells on my waist. I was impressed even though I was underestimating him. Then he did the Uchiha clan's favourite fire jutsu."

"Not surprising he had that in his arsenal. I wonder how much control he had over it?"

"Good control but I didn't expect him to be able to perform it."

"Why? Sasuke is an Uchiha. Compared to the Uzumaki or Senju clan he would have less chakra but Sasuke is an Uchiha, they have more chakra than the average shinobi. Anyway, what happened next?"

"I hid underground and used the head-hunter jutsu to switch places. I was going to walk off in my usual cool manner," Kakashi said, making Kotero groan. "But Naruto used **Wind release: Great breakthrough** on me and I literally flew away!"

"Yosh! That's Naruto's second favourite jutsu! I'm glad he used it on you."

"Second favourite? Is the **Shadow clone** **jutsu** his favourite?"

"Sure is! I taught him both and he loves them to bits."

"Speaking of shadow clones, Naruto could have broken my arm with one."

"Haha! He's a slippery little bastard. Tell me what happened!"

"Right, it was the start of the test. Only a minute in, Naruto comes and attacks me. I tried to taunt him, but he wasn't biting until I took out my book."

"Kakashi, you read that smut crap in front of your new team!?"

"HEY! It's not smut, it's a work of art. Ahem anyway, Naruto came at me with his own barrage of kicks and punches. I was happy he wasn't sloppy. I could see he was getting frustrated, he then increased his speed and I had to take my book away. He then latched himself on my left arm, but instead of breaking it, he went for the bells and touched them. I had to throw him off with as much power I could muster. Then I used my secret move."

"Secret move? Wait… Kakashi!" Kotero shouted out loudly. "You fingered my little brother!" he screamed out.

"Pssh, no. I fingered your brother's shadow clone," Kakashi said defending himself with waving his hands. "There's a clear difference."

"God Kakashi! That move should be forbidden… So how did the team pass?"

"Naruto."

"Kakashi, that's not a full answer. Come on, tell me."

"Naruto figured out the test because of the words you tell him whenever you speak about your missions. He got the message, teamwork. He tried telling the other two but Sasuke ignored him and went off by his own. Sakura followed Sasuke, leaving Naruto. I was very disappointed."

"I would be too. What happened next?"

"I tied those two up. And gave Naruto the second test."

"With the lunch boxes?"

"The same one. I told the team how disappointed I was with them. Then I told Naruto that he could eat but he would fail if he fed any of the other two."

"And he fed the other two."

"Yes, he did. I came down like a storm with my 'anger' and I threatened him. The little guy stood his ground and got the team together. Ah I couldn't be prouder."

"Let's just hope it sticks."

"Huh?"

"Sasuke still wants to kill his brother. And from what you said it seems like he thinks Naruto and Sakura will hold him back."

"I don't think he'll do anything drastic."

"Kakashi… I would look out for him. I said this to Naruto, if he got rid of his arrogance… no it's not arrogance. If Sasuke got rid of his lone-wolf mentality, he would be an excellent ninja. Hell, he already has great skills, the kid is a genius in his own right. This generation has so much potential. I really hope they all become great friends.

But Sasuke… Hokage-sama showed me the reports since he's on Naruto's team. He didn't go to the psychologist meetings after his clan's massacre, he's shown signs of power-hungriness and his brother's death is the only thing on his mind. I'll leave him up to you. But if he hurts Naruto or Sakura or any villager for any of those reasons, there won't be anything holding me back to bring him into a world of pain."

"I understand."

"Good, it would be a shame if he died. I don't care for his sharingan but if he can be useful to the village. Then he should stay."

"I feel the same way," Kakashi said with a slow nod.

There was silence for a minute, the atmosphere was tense and cold, Kotero's earlier statements had great power behind them. "So… How will Sasuke react to Naruto being an overall better ninja then him?" Kotero asked.

"You can say with full confidence that Naruto is better, really? I fought Sasuke and he was excellent."

"I have no doubt whatsoever that Sasuke is excellent. Actual fact, a part of me is happy that he and Naruto are on the same team, they can make each other stronger. Naruto and Sasuke are on the same level, but they have different strengths. I shouldn't have said Naruto was better, I have to fight Sasuke myself to really judge it fairly. And that's not a bad idea anyway," Kotero said.

"Kotero… I don't want you to fight Sasuke. I don't want you going all 'crazy' and breaking him. He's my precious student now," Kakashi lamented.

Kotero scoffed and then drank some of his tea. "Fine… But let me tell you this. I don't want Naruto to go full out until his Chūnin exams. He should faster and stronger than the one you fought."

Kakashi's eye widened, "What do you mean?" he asked.

Kotero tilted his head with a smile on his face. "Naruto is quite good at using his chakra. My sweet little brother can enhance his speed quite effectively with his chakra."

"Something you wouldn't expect with your bog-standard Genin."

"And don't worry about his chakra control, he can water walk for a few hours during a spar."

"Kotero… You trained a boy to a Chūnin level ninja who's just turned a Genin. Thank you!"

"Thank you? I thought you would be a little peeved."

"Peeved? Why? Now I don't have to worry about Naruto when we go on missions. This means I can train Sakura and Sasuke more."

"If you train them at all," Kotero mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Too bad I won't be here for a while to see you guys!"

"What? Why?"

"Classified. Hokage-sama told me this is probably the most important mission this year so far. It can bring peace and improve Konoha's standing in the ninja world. He said since you, Asuma, other Jōnin and the ANBU have too many duties to go out for this long. Also, this mission requires skills that only I have."

"Damn… Have you told Naruto?"

"Only met with the old man himself when he came to my office on a "break". I'll tell him tonight. Hopefully it will only be three months tops."

"Three months? Where the hell are you going?"

"It's classified. But I can tell you one thing."

"What?"

"My future is going to get quite… Misty."

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later**

"Ah… I'm so full!" Naruto exclaimed as he came through the front door of his house. It was late at night and nearly time for bed. The stars and moon were already shining brightly in the black sky.

"Naruto," Kotero said waiting for the blond, sitting on one of the main chairs in the living room.

"Nii-chan? What's wrong?" Naruto asked, he could sense the uneasiness in his brother's voice.

Kotero stared at Naruto, his chin resting on his right knuckle. "I'm going on a mission. It could take up to three months to finish," He finally said.

"THREE MONTHS? What the hell Nii-chan? What the hell am I supposed to do when you're gone ttebayo!?" Naruto shouted out.

Kotero sat there silent, just looking at Naruto, "Well?" Naruto asked the second time.

"Mind the house. Train hard. Do your missions. And stay alive," Kotero said as he got up and messed up Naruto's hair.

Naruto hugged his older brother tightly, "Do you have to go for three months?" he asked in a muffled voice.

"Hopefully not. I could finish early or die in between."

"Nii-chan! Don't say that. I hate it when you say stuff like that!"

"Don't worry! I have too much to live for. I have one piece of advice for you before I leave."

"Advice? What?"

"Get along with your new teammate Sasuke. Or it will make your life much more difficult. But from that frown he usually wears, it seems anything can piss him. LOOK! All I'm just saying be careful of him. Try to be his friend."

"I know… I thought the same."

"Really? Well… That's good. Maybe you guys can become friends if things go well. He's already you're rival."

"Hm, I wouldn't say that anymore."

"Who is it now?"

"You Nii-chan!"

"Haha, well let's hope you can get strong enough so we can have a real fight!" Kotero said with a big smile as he and Naruto went upstairs to bed.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**

 **The True Adventures Begins!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Mystified

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 9 - Mystified**

"This is Sasuke, arrived at point B."

"This is Sakura, arrived at point C."

"This is Naruto, arrived at point A ttebayo!"

"You're slow Naruto! Come on! Ok, team seven… Huh? The target has moved again, damnit! After it!"

"Okay, he's there!"

"What's the distance to the target?"

"Five metres out. I'm ready to go ttebayo."

"I am, too."

"Me too."

"Ok… GO!"

The three Genin jumped from their positions and surrounded the target. "I got you!" Naruto said, restraining a large brown cat with a ribbon on its right ear. "AH! You little bastard, stop scratching!" Naruto screamed as the brown cat was using Naruto as a scratch post.

"Does it have a ribbon on its right ear? Is it our target, Tora?" Kakashi asked from his radio.

"It's the target for sure," Sasuke said, looking away from the scene.

"Yosh. 'Operation Capture Tora the lost pet' complete," Kakashi said in his bored expression.

"That mission was pathetic," Naruto said with an irritated tone.

* * *

 **Mission Administrations Room**

"Oh, my cute Tora-chan is all sleepy. I was so worried about you!" a plum woman cried out happily, hugging the unconscious cat.

"Yeah… poor Tora ran into a tough tree while we tried to capture it. We hope he recovers soon," Kakashi said.

"Hehe, that cat is getting what he deserves," Naruto whispered to the team. The cat pissed him off to no end. ' _Thank goodness I knocked that devil cat out, my face would have been shredded!'_ he thought afterwards.

Watching how the woman squezzed what little life was still in the cat, Sakura sighed. "No wonder he ran away," she said quietly.

"Now then, Team Seven's next mission. Hm… babysitting Yojyu-sama's boy. Grocery shopping at the neighbouring town. Helping dig up potatoes at-" Hiruzen would have continued.

"Jiji, give us something better, we're too good to dig up potatoes," Naruto said interrupting the Hokage.

' _There's some truth to that,'_ Sasuke thought, agreeing with his teammate.

' _I knew he was going to do this soon,'_ Kakashi internally said.

Iruka, who was sitting beside the Hokage slammed his hands on the table, "You idiot! You're still a novice ninja! Everyone needs to start with the easy missions to gain experience!" Iruka shouted towards Naruto. The Hokage just stayed quiet and covered himself with his large pointy hat.

"Gaining experience!? Yes, because cleaning a kitchen for a newly made mother will help defend myself. We've only been doing dumb missions for like two months! OW!" Naruto said, then being punched in the back of his head, courtesy of Kakashi.

"Cut it out," Kakashi said, looking down at Naruto.

"Naruto!" the Hokage said. "It looks like I need to explain to what missions are."

"Jiji, I know what missions are," Naruto said with the cross of arms.

"Really, well then you understand why I put you on them. Listen, a lot of clients come to this village every day. They request tasks from babysitting to assassinations. On the request list, a variety of requests are listed on it. And they are separated into ranks A, B, C, and D according to difficulty.

I only give S-rank missions to my must trusted, skilled and experienced ninja. In this village we separate the people into Jōnin, Chūnin and Genin to their abilities.

We use the ninja with the appropriate abilities to higher rank missions. And, if we complete the mission, we receive a fee from the client. You have all become Genin just recently, so D ranked are best for you," The Hokage lectured.

"So yeah, I was doing all that with a cup of ramen in my hand. I couldn't believe I didn't spill out one noodle," Naruto told Team Seven, completely ignoring the Hokage.

"Listen to me you little fool!" Hiruzen shouted with a raised fist.

Kakashi put his hand behind his head, "I'm so sorry Hokage-sama," he said with as much emotion he could muster, which was very little.

Naruto turned around to face the Hokage, "Do you not trust your ninja Jiji? Give us a harder mission and we will prove that we are capable of completing it," he said, looking into the Hokage's eyes.

Kakashi started rubbing the back of his head. ' _I'm so going to get scolded later…'_ he thought sadly.

Hiruzen grinned at this, ' _What a cheeky brat,'_ he thought. "Fine, I understand!, "the old man said, suprising all of Team Seven. "If you insist. I will allow you to take on a C ranked mission. It's to escort a certain person," The Hokage told the group.

"Really!?" Naruto exclaimed, not believing his ears. "Who?" Naruto asked immediately.

"Don't get so hasty. I'll introduce him now. Can you please come in now?" The Hokage said loudly.

The door opened slowly as team seven moved their heads to see who they were protecting.

"What? They're all kids!" said an elderly man with grey hair and a beard. He wore white rimmed glasses and a white rope wrapped around his forehead. He wore a sleeveless green top with a big backpack on his back and a towel wrapped around his neck. His eyes were heavily dulled, and he had a bottle of cheap sake in his hand. The man drank from the bottle and let some of the sake spill off his mouth. He leaned against the doorframe for support. All of it created a slobbery mess of a man. A terrible image for the public.

"Hey, is the smallest one there with the idiotic face really a ninja?" he asked.

Naruto knew it was him that was being talked about. "Is the old drunk man with the idiotic face our important client?" Naruto asked, with his thumb pointing at the buzzed man.

"Don't insult the man you're supposed to escort, idiot," Kakashi said as he put his hand on Naruto's head, pushing him down.

The man drank some more before looking at the group, "I am the bridge builder expert Tazuna. Once I have returned to my country, the Land of Waves. I will have all of you protect my life with yours while I complete the bridge," he said.

"Alright. Team seven meet Tazuna and I at the main gate in an hour. Prepare for a month's travel," Kakashi said as he left the room, followed by Tazuna. Sakura and Sasuke left afterwards and Naruto stayed behind.

"Naruto? Shouldn't you be packing?" the Hokage asked Naruto.

Naruto twirled around and walked up to the Hokage. "Any news on Nii-chan? I haven't heard squat since he left two months ago ttebayo," Naruto asked.

Hiruzen shifted his eyes so they looked at him for a moment. "He's doing good. I received a message from the leader he is working for. She says he has been amazing and actually wrote a little note at the end that she wouldn't mind keeping him afterwards," he said with a grin.

Naruto was confused. "But he's a part of Konoha. He can't be a part of her group," he said.

Hiruzen and Iruka laughed at Naruto's innocence. "Naruto. You'll understand when you're older," Iruka said.

Naruto stepped back. "What? Who is she anyway?" he asked.

"Her name is Terumī Mei, the rebel leader currently fighting in the Land of Water," Hiruzen answered. "In the last letter, the war seems to be nearly over. I wouldn't be suprised if we saw him one or two weeks time. You two might meet up with each other on the way home, wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise. Going through the Land of Waves from the Land of Water would be the quickest way to get home for him."

"Ah yes! I can't wait to see Nii-chan. And rebels? There's a civil war going on?" Naruto asked with a hint of confusion, this was the first time hearing such information.

"Yes rebels. I'm sure you'll find out more later when he comes back, but I should remind you that you have an important mission that you should prepare for," Hiruzen said.

Naruto nodded and ran out of the mission room. He exited the Hokage tower and went straight towards the Uzumaki residence to pack up gear. Running across the roof tops of the buildings and taking the shortcuts made life much easier for Naruto. If he took the "normal" path, he would take twice if not triple the time to reach his home.

Reaching his house grounds, Naruto went straight through the front door and climbed up the stairs. He entered his room and began to sort through his piles.

"Alright, everything I need should already have been sealed in… here!" Naruto said as he took out a small backpack from his closet.

The backpack was already filled with weapon, medical, food and domestic supplies for any type of long-term missions. "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. God, I love that saying," Naruto said.

After checking that everything was inside, he went into the study. Naruto knew his older brother was very cautious when going on missions, so he would take down all the gossip and latest news to do with a region or country whenever he went on a mission. Naruto said that he was just paranoid but Kotero said he rather be paranoid than die and it's a great skill to have.

Naruto entered the study to see what information was there to prepare himself for. Naruto looked up to the map of the mainland above the desk. He saw that the Land of Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning and Earth all had different colours, red, blue, green, yellow and brown respectively with the rest of the countries in white, black lines showed borders of both region and country.

Naruto went on his tippy-toes to find the Land of Waves. "There it is. It's between the Land of Fire and Water. Not really that big," Naruto commented.

Naruto also saw a strange sticker on top of the Land of waves, and then noticed other stickers over other places on the map. Four of them in total, each having the symbol of a suit of cards. Over the Land of Waves was the suit of Spades. The Capital of the Land of Fire had the suit of Hearts. The Capital in the Land of Honey had the suit of Clubs and finally Capital of The Land of Earth had the suit of Diamonds.

"What are these? Why would Nii-chan put them up there?" Naruto wondered.

Naruto looked away and went over to a small shelf filled with scrolls. He scanned through and saw a symbol of the Land of Waves, "Bingo," Naruto said.

Naruto took out the scroll and opened it. It was brimmed with information. Naruto read through it briefly to see what the story was with the island nation.

" _Economy is falling. People are becoming restless according to some civilians in the Land of Hot springs…_

That's not good. Anything else?

 _Found an information broker in the Land of Waves. His codename is Spades. Not his real name, supposedly it's impossible to find out. Spades told me that there were three others that go by codenames as well. Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. These four are the main information brokers in the Mainland. I wouldn't be surprised if Jiraiya has one, if not all of them as contacts for his spy network. It would be very surprising if he had none of them as contacts._

 _Spades is a nice man so far, from what I can see from my two meetings with him, but he warned me about the other three, especially Hearts. Apparentely this person has a deadly ability. I don't know if it's a man or woman. Let's just hope I never get on their bad side. This is a tough world we live in._

 _All four also work in the drug trade business. Spades didn't look like he took any drugs whatsoever, he must just produce and sell. A dirty business but it works for him. I will stay wary of him, but the man knows stuff that he shouldn't, too much stuff._

 _At least he is a reliable source of information at a reasonable price. It made me realise how naïve I was that this world was just about ninja, samurai and the normal people, but no I was dead wrong, it also includes gangs and mercenary groups in the underworld. The last warning he gave me were of this mercenary group that wore black cloaks with red clouds on them. He said I might get recruited some time soon if I continue to flaunt my ass around the Mainland. I took his crude advice into consideration._

Damn… That's a lot of stuff to process. Is this the same Jiraiya I learnt in the academy? From the look of the date Nii-chan wrote at the end, this was written right after he got promoted to a Jōnin. I'd better bring this with me, so I won't forget any of it," Naruto said before putting it into his backpack.

Looking around, there was nothing left for him to do or pack. He was ready. "I better get to the gate, I don't want to keep Sakura or Sasuke waiting for me," Naruto said as he left the study and then his house.

* * *

 **Main Gate**

Team seven met up with Tazuna at the main gate an hour later. Surprisingly, Kakashi was on time for once. ' _He's usually late for everything by two hours,'_ All the Genin thought when they saw him.

Naruto led the group out of the village and turned around. "YOSH!" he cheered out, putting his arms up. "Let's go!"

"What are you so excited for?" Sakura asked.

Naruto was moving his head side to side, taking in all the views, "Because, I've never been outside the village for a mission before," Naruto exclaimed looking excited.

Tazuna, who was wearing a straw hat, asked "Hey, will a kid like him really be capable of this mission?" he asked.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and Kakashi just chuckled, "Don't worry about him. He's much better than he looks. And I, a Jōnin, will be accompanying you. There's no need to worry," he said.

Naruto just kept replaying Tazuna's words repeatedly in his mind. He crossed his arms, ' _This old man is such a pain. I need to say something!_ ' he thought with crossed arms and a twitching eyebrow.

"Hey you, old man. Don't underestimate ninja. Some things great things come in small packages. One day, I'll become Hokage of this very village. The name is Uzumaki Naruto. Remember it!" Naruto said as he pointed his finger at Tazuna.

"The Hokage is the best ninja in the village, right? I don't think a guy like you can become one," Tazuna insulted.

Naruto was now real mad, "If a drunk like you can become a "Expert bridge builder", why can't I become the Hokage. When I become the Hokage, you'll have to say sorry for all this," he said.

"I won't kid. That is, even if you become the Hokage," Tazuna gruffly said as he walked off from the group.

The remaining members of Team seven could have sworn that steam was coming out of Naruto's ears. The group followed the bridge builder after Naruto calmed down. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by two pairs of eyes.

* * *

 **The Land of Fire, South-Eastern Countryside**

Naruto was looking up in the sky. It was clear with small white clouds moving across. There were cries coming from the local bird of prey. Like the past week, the sun was beating down hard to the ground. Naruto looked down and saw the light brown that is the dirt.

' _Hasn't rained in a while... my plants better not die,'_ Naruto mused. A toad croaked, annoyed from the rising heats.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Sensei? Something wrong?" Naruto asked.

"I only it noticed now, but why is your backpack so small?" he asked.

Naruto smiled and patted his back pouch, "Everything I need are in this. I sealed them away, so I don't have to worry about a big bulky bag ttebayo," he explained.

Kakashi just nodded with an eye-smile, moving back to the rear of the group.

"Hey, Tazuna-san…" Sakura said.

"What is it?" Tazuna asked gruffly.

"You're from the Land of the Waves, right?" she said.

"What about it?" he asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there also ninja in that country?" Sakura asked the one-eyed man.

Kakashi turned to face her, "No, there are no ninja in the Land of waves. But while the culture and customs of other countries may be different, other hidden villages and ninja do exist. To the many countries that exist on the mainland.

The existence of ninja villages is the equivalent some of the country's military powers. But the villages aren't under control of that country. They are supposedly equal in position. On a small island nation like the Land of waves, where it is hard to be influenced by other countries, there is no need for a ninja village.

Among the countries that have a ninja village. Since the five Lands of Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind and Earth occupy a large mass of land and their powers are immense, they are known as the Five Great Ninja powers. Land of Fire's Hidden Village of Konoha, Land of Water's Hidden Village of Mist, Land of Lightning's Hidden Village of the Cloud, Land of Wind's Hidden village of Sand and finally, the Land of Earth's Hidden Village of Rock.

Only the leader of each hidden village can carry the title of 'Kage'. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage. These are the ninja that reign over the tens of thousands of ninja that exist in the countries throughout the world," Kakashi explained in detail to his Genin.

Sakura brought her arms to her chest and her fists were clenched, "Wow, so Hokage-sama must be a great man!" she said.

Naruto grinned, knowing how great his Jiji was from watching a spar between him and his older brother. ' _Boy those were epic spars,'_ Naruto thought.

"Oi Sakura, you just doubted Hokage-sama, didn't you?" Kakashi said with a teasing tone.

Sakura shook her head side to side repeating no repeatedly.

Kakashi just chuckled and patted Sakura's head. "Don't worry. We won't have any ninja battles in a C ranked mission," Kakashi reassured.

"Then there's no need to worry about meeting a foreign ninja then," Sakura said happily.

"Of course," Kakashi said then proceeding to laugh.

"But it isn't just those ninja we should be worried about Sensei, there are other dangers hiding for us like gangs and ninja from minor villages," Naruto said with his hands in his pockets.

Kakashi sighed, "Naruto, stop worrying. This will be all smooth sailing, trust me," Kakashi reassured him.

The party moved on and walked for a few hours. Team seven and Tazuna walked over a wooden bridge to get to the other side of a clear river. They entered a dense part of a forest and were walking through the dirt path. Naruto was taking in his surroundings, he truly felt at peace. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. Wild flowers were beginning to bloom. The trees had dark foliage covering their bark and body, providing shade for the local wildlife. A snake hiss could be heard in the tall grass.

Naruto looked ahead of him and saw a dark blue puddle. ' _What the?'_ he thought immediately. Naruto looked at Kakashi with a questioning gaze.

' _Nice Naruto!'_ Kakashi thought, giving a slight nod to Naruto as the group continued onwards. Kakashi looked and Sasuke prepare himself for the upcoming ambush. ' _That's two out of three. That's a passing grade!_ '

The group went past the puddle and Naruto felt anxious. He then heard a stomping noise come from behind and then he looked. He saw two men clad in camouflaged gear, mainly focused in black. And some strange chain was flying with the men around their metal gauntlets. The chain wrapped around tightly against Kakashi's body.

"What!?" Kakashi said, his voice filled with shock.

Both men pulled on the chains and shouted, "First one!". Shreds appeared in what used to be Kakashi's body. All the Genin were shocked.

As the shreds landed on the ground, they made loud rickety noises. ' _Kakashi used a log for a substitution!'_ Naruto thought quickly, seeing the shreds build up and form a dust cloud.

Sakura screamed, seeing her Sensei being killed. Naruto was scared. His first real battle was happening right now. Then, the two men appeared behind Naruto, crouching slightly. "Second one!" they shouted.

Instincts overwritten Naruto's body as he went on his hands and lifted his feet in an instant and kicked them square in the jaws, similar to when a horse buckles. ' _What the hell!?'_ both men thought as they were sent in the air. Naruto then jumped by bending his elbows and using his hands as feet, then took out a kunai and launched himself to the man on his left.

Sasuke at that moment jumped into the air and took out a shuriken and kunai, he skilfully threw the shuriken at the wavering chain and it stuck to the tree. With his kunai, he threw it in the shuriken hole, making full use of his accuracy, securing the two enemies to the tree.

Naruto successfully pinned the man down, using his feet to make sure the man can't use his hands. With his kunai, he put the blade to the man's throat. "You!" he shouted to the one near Sasuke, "Try anything funny and your partner dies!" Naruto said with a serious voice and face.

Sakura, who stood in front of their client with a kunai in her hand, and Tazuna paled at the threat. ' _Where did the goofball go?'_ Sakura asked herself.

Kakashi appeared in the middle of the group. "Wow great work team!" he said in a cheery voice.

"Sensei? What? How? When?" Sakura repeatedly asked.

Kakashi waved her off and pointed to where he died. Sakura looked and saw bark and wood flesh. "A replacement!" she said shocked.

"Sensei. What should we do with them?" Naruto asked, his serious voice still being used.

Kakashi stared at the scene, ' _Their instinct and skills were superb,'_ he thought.

"Leave him awake. Disorient him," Kakashi ordered. Naruto took the kunai away, rotated it to the blunt end and smacked the man wearing a Kiri forehead protector on his forehead. The man's eyes moved violently, and he groaned in pain.

Naruto stood up from his position. He looked at his right and saw Kakashi do the same to the other one. Naruto suddenly felt a huge stinging pain on his left hand, he looked and saw a gash in it.

"Must have been from his glove, that was careless Naruto. It's poisoned, you have to clean out the poison or you'll die... Anyway, Naruto and Sasuke excellent job. Sakura, you too," Kakashi said as he wrapped ninja rope around the two men and tied them to the tree. "Anyway Tazuna-san. We need to talk!" Kakashi said sternly.

Naruto took out a fresh kunai and stabbed his left hand, "Naruto! What the hell are you doing!?" Sakura shouted out, the self-inflicted attack got her out of her frightened daze.

Naruto just laughed, "I don't have an antidote, so I need to either stab it out or suck it out ttebayo. This way is faster!" Naruto said as he got the last of the metallic poison out of the back his hand.

Naruto took out his water bottle and squirted water on the wound, cleaning it. He then took out a bandage from the small medical pouch that Kotero made for him and wrapped his hand with it. "See Sakura, good as new!" he said happily.

"These guys are Chūnin class ninja from the Hidden Village of the Mist. These are ninja known for fighting no matter what the cost," Kakashi told the group.

' _Just like the ninja from Iwa,'_ Naruto thought as he dusted his trousers.

"How were you able to detect our action?" the masked ninja asked.

"My cute little Genin here and I knew it hasn't rained for the past few days, and it's sunny today. So, a puddle of water shouldn't exist," Kakashi told the two men.

"Why did you let the kids fight when you knew that?" Tazuna asked.

"If I was up to it, I could have killed these two in the blink of an eye. But, I needed to confirm two things. I needed to know who the target for these two was," Kakashi answered.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tazuna asked him.

"In other words, were you being targeted or somebody from our ninja group? We have not heard anything about you being targeted by ninja. Your request was to protect you from armed forces such as gangs and robbers. This is a mission that's a B rank. Our job was to support and guard you until you completed the bridge.

If ninja are the enemies, this mission would have been an expensive B rank mission. It looks like you have your reasons, but it only troubles us if you lie in your request detail. This wasn't part of the mission," Kakashi told Tazuna with his cold lone eye staring at him without a blink.

"This mission is way out of our league," Sakura pointed out. "Let's quit!" she said.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke and Naruto, "What about you guys?" he asked.

"Hn. I rather to do the mission. Digging potatoes is not worth my time," Sasuke said.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto stayed silent for a few moments. ' _Sasuke and I can handle guys like these guys no problem, I'm afraid for Sakura though but this could help her,'_ Naruto thought as he looked at the tied-up ninja. "Let's keep going… this kind of thing is going to happen often ttebayo. Might as well get used to it," he said confidently.

* * *

 **The Land of Fire's Sea Channel**

Team seven and Tazuna were currently on a small wooden boat with a small motor engine at the back. The fog was extremely thick that the ninja couldn't see five meters in front of them. The waters were only slightly choppy as the man at the back of the boat rowed the boat. A mixture of a dull grey and purple surrounded Team Seven and Tazuna.

"The mist is so thick, I can't see what's ahead!" Sakura said.

"We should be able to see the bridge soon," The rower said as he did his work. "If we move along the side of the bridge, we'll be at the Land of Waves."

Naruto who was sitting in the front was trying to find it. On the right, a dark outline appeared. Pillars were now noticeable and cranes holding steel beams can be seen. "It's huge!" Naruto said a little too loudly.

"Hey, be quiet! We're using a boat and hiding in the mist. That's why I'm rowing instead of using the engine," The man quietly hissed out. "In other words, if we get caught, we'll be in big trouble!".

The Genin were shocked of how scared the man was. "Tazuna-san," Kakashi said getting the attention of the elderly man. "Before the boat gets to the pier, there's something I need to ask you."

Tazuna stayed silent, "The identity of the ones who are after you, and the reason they are after you. Or we can call off this mission off when you get ashore, Tazuna-san," Kakashi said.

"It looks like I have to tell you the full story. I mean well, I would like you to hear my story. As you said, this mission is most likely out of your job description. An extremely terrible man is after my life."

"An extremely terrible man?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes," Tazuna replied.

"Who is he?"

"You should have at least heard of the name. Marine transportation billionaire, Gatō."

"Gatō!? The one from the Gatō company? He's one of the richest men in the world."

"The very same. He is the president of a marine transportation company on the outside. But underground, he uses gangs and ninja to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does nasty jobs like takeovers of other companies and countries. A year ago, he set his sights on my country, the Land of Waves. He entered the country using violence and money as his shield. And he quickly took over the Island's sea traffic and transportation.

On a group of islands like the Land of Waves, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, politics and people of this Island. And the one thing Gatō is afraid of is-"

"Your bridge," Naruto interjected.

Tazuna nodded, "Yes. It is the completion of the bridge that has been under construction for quite some time," he said looking at his project.

"I see. So, you as the one building the bridge became an obstacle to him," Sakura deduced.

"Then those ninja were sent by Gatō," Sasuke added.

"But I don't understand. He's a dangerous man who uses ninja. Why did you hide the fact when you came to us?" Kakashi asked.

"Sensei, he said he's controlling the country. If he had to resort to us, it means the country is dirt poor ttebayo," Naruto said crossing his arms.

"He's right Kakashi-san. And I didn't know he was going to send ninja. All I've seen is his thugs doing his dirty work, not any ninja.

The Land of Waves is a really poor country. Even our Daimyō does not have much money. And we don't have much either. We don't have the money to request for an expensive B rank or above mission.

If you quit your mission after I land, I'll be killed for sure while I go home. But there's no need to blame yourselves. Only my cute eight-year old grandson will cry, and cry, and cry some more. And my beautiful daughter will just hold a grudge against Konoha ninja and live a lonely life. But don't worry, it's not your fault," Tazuna said.

All of the team seven members groaned. "I guess it can't be helped. We will continue the escort mission," Kakashi said.

Tazuna just grinned like a kid at a sweet shop, "Oh? That's good to hear," he said happily.

"We're almost there," The rower said. "Tazuna, looks like we haven't been noticed yet."

"Thanks!" Tazuna said to the rower.

The boat followed on ahead and it went into the tunnel closest to the bridge. The boat moved through the tunnel. Once the boat exited the tunnel, Team seven and Tazuna were at the Land of Waves. The fog was cleared, and sunshine was pouring down on them.

They all jumped off the boat once it docked. "This is as far as I go. Later," The rower said.

Tazuna smiled at the man, "Sure. Thanks a lot," He said. The man turned on the boat engine and then flew off into the distance. "Yosh! Now take me home," Tazuna asked the ninja.

"Sure, sure," Kakashi said as the group moved from the dock and into the town. As they were walking, Kakashi was musing to himself. ' _If they were to attack again, they should send a Jōnin level ninja instead of Chūnin level ones,'_ he thought as they moved into one of the forests.

The group moved for thirty minutes. ' _What was that?'_ Naruto thought as he threw a kunai to his left, scaring the rest of the party.

"Naruto! What the hell are you doing?" Sakura screamed out.

"Hey you midget! Don't scare me like that!" Tazuna shouted at him.

Naruto moved to where his kunai was. He saw it was just above the head of a snow rabbit. "Shit! I must of mistook it for an enemy ninja!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran over and grabbed his kunai and then proceeded to hug the rabbit better.

' _That was a snow rabbit. But what was with its fur. They only have that colour of white in winter where the days are short. That means it is a rabbit that was raised inside, a place where the sun isn't a factor, a replacement technique?'_ Kakashi thought. He turned his head to a nearby tree, ' _So one has appeared now,'_ he thought after.

Zabuza was eyeing the ninja in front of him wearily. "I see. Ninja that are on the same level as the demon brothers could never handle this guy. Konoha's copy ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan is there, this could get fun," he said. He then vanishing away.

Leaves crunched and swirled in the air. A sharp but heavy whisper was increasing in volume. The sound was frightening and chaotic.

Kakashi felt a tickle sensation from his ears. He gasped before turning to his team. "Everyone duck!" Kakashi shouted to the group. A large blade whirled in the air and nearly cut off the heads of Tazuna and Team seven.

The sword stuck itself into a tree, nearly chopping it down. Then a Zabuza landed on the hilt of the sword. Zabuza wore blue lined pants and cow print leg wraps. He was shirtless with a sword belt wrapped around his neck and he had similar cow print arm wraps covering his forearms.

"He's-" Kakashi said eyeing him up.

"Momochi Zabuza," Naruto answered, remembering Kotero's lessons on the seven ninja swordsmen and Zabuza's face in his Kotero's bingo book.

"Ah, it seems like your kid knows who I am, Kakashi," Zabuza said.

"Oh, my, my, so you are Momochi Zabuza, the exiled ninja of the Hidden Mist," Kakashi said as he moved closer to the swordsman. Naruto moved a bit closer but Kakashi's hand blocked his path. "You're in the way. Stay back, everyone," Kakashi ordered. Naruto didn't like it, but he complied, jumping in between Sasuke and Sakura.

"I'm guessing you are Kakashi the Sharingan user then," Zabuza said. Kakashi didn't react but Sasuke had to take another look at his sensei. "I'm sorry, but I'll need you to hand over the geezer," Zabuza demanded.

' _Kakashi is going to use his sharingan. Nii-chan said it makes him stronger. How strong is this Zabuza?'_ Naruto thought as he moved back slightly.

"Everyone, form the swastika formation. Protect Tazuna-san. Don't join the battle. To not to interfere with the battle is teamwork," Kakashi ordered as he lifted his forehead protector off his left eye, revealing a red eye with three tomoes. "Fight me," Kakashi said provoking Zabuza.

"I'm honoured that I can see the sharingan I've heard so much about," Zabuza said turning around.

"What's this sharingan?" Sakura asked.

"Sharingan. It is the power the eye generates. One who use dójutsu are said to have eye powers that can see through all genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu and cancel their effects. But that's not the only ability the sharingan possesses," Sasuke told his team mates.

"You're correct. That isn't the only thing. The scary part is that the sharingan can understand how an opponent's technique works and then copy it," Zabuza said. Suddenly the area filled with mist.

"When I was in the Hidden Mist's assassination squad, your information was listed in the bingo book I carried, asking for your capture, an A-rank threat at thirteen years old. It also noted this… The man who copied over a thousand jutsu. Kakashi the copy ninja," Zabuza said staring down at Kakashi.

Naruto's eyes were fixed between the two heavy-weights. "Let's cut the chit-chat here. I have to kill the geezer right away," Zabuza said as he crouched on his sword.

The three Genin immediately gathered around Tazuna and pulled out their kunai. "But Kakashi, it looks like I have to defeat you first," he said as he pulled his sword out of the tree.

Zabuza landed on a lake nearby and started to flow his chakra through the water. "He's there. And he's standing on water?" Sakura exclaimed.

' _He's embedding lots of his chakra into the water,'_ Kakashi thought as his eyes were stuck on the former Kiri ninja _._

It was only moments later that Zabuza disappeared from the Konoha shinobi's eyes.

' _He disappeared!'_ Naruto thought with cold sweat running down his neck.

Kakashi walked towards the lake, "Sensei!" Sakura cried out.

"He'll try and kill me first, but-"

"What is he?" Sakura asked, interrupting him.

"Momochi Zabuza. He was in the Hidden Mist's ANBU, and was known for his silent killing techniques. Just as the name implies, it's a killing technique that's executed in a flash and carried out in absolute silence. It's possible that you'll be dead before you even realised it. And I cannot use the Sharingan to its fullest potential. So, don't let your guard down. But if you fail, you're only going to die," Kakashi said in a bored manner. "The fun has already begun."

The air was getting heavier around the ninja and Tazuna, "The mist is getting way too thick," Naruto said quietly to the others.

"The Land of Waves is surrounded by ocean, so a mist can often emerge," Tazuna pointed out.

"No," Naruto said sternly, "This is all him," he said as he kept glancing in all directions. "He's putting his chakra into the mist and air."

It was as Naruto said. Eventually, the mist grew so thick that Kakashi disappeared from his students.

"Sensei?" Sakura tried calling him.

"Eight points," an eerie voice in the mist said.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney and heart. Now which vital organ do you want to get struck at?" Zabuza said, scaring the Genin and Tazuna.

Kakashi focused his chakra and let it envelop his body, he then exerted it out, pushing the mist away, blowing air into his team and client.

Sasuke was having terrifying thoughts run through his head. Memories of the bloodlust resurfaced from his past. His clan's downfall, it was too much for him. Sasuke gripped his kunai as hard as he could and brought it to his throat. It rested on his skin, so very close to the flesh.

"Sasuke. Don't worry, I'll protect the three of you with my life. I won't let anyone on my team die," Kakashi said with a reassuring expression on his face.

' _This is like what happened with Nii-chan and Mizuki, but that was all him. I nearly felt sick on how much Nii-chan wanted to kill Mizuki!'_ Naruto thought, remembering one of his worst memories.

"I don't know about that. This the end," Zabuza said as he appeared in the middle of the formation, his humongous sword resting on the back ok his arm, ready to cleave the Genin and Tazuna.

All four were shocked by the appearing act. ' _I have to act now! Or my friends will die!'_ Naruto thought as he crouched down and swung his kunai in a large arc with speed, aiming towards the open gut of Zabuza.

A scream of pain came from Zabuza as the kunai dug into his flesh, the group and Kakashi were stunned to see how quickly the little blond reacted. When Naruto took out his kunai, blue liquid came out of the gut.

"Water?" Naruto thought as Zabuza turned into a puddle of water.

"You're pretty good brat. Now! Kakashi Die!" Zabuza said as he swung his huge sword at frightening speeds.

He chopped Kakashi in half and Kakashi's insides spread across before turning into water, " **Water Clone jutsu** , but how? Did he… copy it? In this mist?" Zabuza thought as a kunai was put beside his throat.

"Don't move, this is the end," Kakashi said in a cool fashion. The Genin around calmed down, thinking the threat was over. This lasted until chuckling was heard.

"This is the end? You don't understand. You can't defeat me with just your imitations. I can assure you of that. Hehehe, but you're pretty good. I see you copied my **Water Clone** when you said, "I won't let anyone on my team die."

By making your clone talk as if it was the real one, you diverted my attention to the clone. While the real one used the mist to hide and observe my movements. However," a new clone of Zabuza appeared out of thin air, "I'm not that easy to defeat," he said in husked voice.

The clone in front of Kakashi dispelled into water. Kakashi quickly turned his head and saw Zabuza was already beginning his swing. He ducked hard and just missed the huge blade that would have cut him in half.

The sword kept going in a circle motion until it dug into the ground. Zabuza switched hands from right to left to hold the sword and used his right leg to kick Kakashi hard, sending him into the air. "Now!" Zabuza said. While grabbing his sword with his right hand, he dashed at unbelievable speeds.

Zabuza put a foot to ground when he saw small shines coming from below, he slowed down just in time. "How stupid!" Zabuza said as he jumped onto the lake behind him, dodging the caltraps.

"Sensei… was kicked away!?" Sakura said in a frightened tone.

Sasuke was keeping a keen eye on the enemy, "His Taijutsu skill is superb too," he said.

Kakashi emerged from the water soaked to the bone. "What's with this water? It's so heavy," Kakashi said.

Zabuza jumped behind and did the hand seals Snake-Ram-Horse-Hare-Ram-Horse-Hare and then spread out his palms "Idiot. **Water release: Water prison technique** ," Zabuza said.

A large sphere of water surrounded Kakashi and trapped him in. "Shit!" Kakashi said before he was fully restricted by the jutsu. ' _I thought I could use the water as cover, but it turned out to be a big mistake on my part,_ ' Kakashi thought.

"Hehe, you fell for it. This is a special prison that you can't escape from. You give me a hard time when you're moving. Now then Kakashi… I'm going to finish you off later.

First, I'm going to get rid of them. The three of you have your forehead protector as if you think you're ninja. But a ninja refers to someone who has gone through numerous life or death situations. In other words, you can call yourself ninja once you appear in my bingo book. You three aren't ninja," Zabuza said as he disappeared into the mist again and punched Naruto in the gut, making him fly back. "You three are just kids," Zabuza ended.

"Get Tazuna and run!" Kakashi said from the prison, surprising his Genin. "You can't win against him! He can't move as long as he has me trapped in this prison. And he won't be able to use any clones once you get away from him! Run away!" Kakashi shouted from the water prison.

 _"_ We have to do it," Sasuke declared as he ran at Zabuza throwing kunai and shuriken straight at him.

Zabuza with one swing of his sword, knocked them all away. Sasuke jumped while Zabuza swung and was heading towards him.

"This is it!" Sasuke shouted with a kunai in hand, directly aiming for Zabuza's chest.

"Too easy," Zabuza said as he raised his right arm. Sasuke's eye widened and he struggled to breathe, his throat in the grasp of Zabuza's firm grip. Zabuza threw Sasuke away and Sasuke skidded far, making a dust cloud behind him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed out, watching her crush travel through grit and dirt.

"Sasuke got… done in one move…. This is a Jōnin, a real ninja," Naruto gritted out not liking the situation at all. Naruto tried getting back up from his punch, but as soon he put his left hand to ground, a stinging pain shot up his arm. ' _Fuck, that hurts! This pain… I have to do something quick!'_ Naruto thought as he stood up and moved towards Zabuza.

"Idiot! Stop you idiot!" Kakashi said from his prison.

"Naruto! What are you thinking!?" Sakura said with her hands in her hair.

"Hm, idiot," Zabuza said with an amused voice.

Naruto stopped hallway and had a grin on his face, "Now then, let's go wild!" he said getting his body ready for a fight.

Zabuza could only laugh, "You seem to be quite confident, but do you even have a chance for victory," he chuckled out.

Kakashi was now shouting, "What are you all doing!? I told you to run away! The outcome of this battle was decided when I got caught! RUN! Our mission is to protect Tazuna-san. Did you forget that?"

Naruto turned his head around,he eyes were focused on Tazuna the old drunk.

"Don't worry, I caused all of this in the first place. I won't say that I want to survive no matter what," Tazuna said as he turned his head up, "Sorry, everyone. Fight as much as you want," He finished.

"Hn. That's how it is," Sasuke responded.

Naruto looked at Zabuza with a grin, "Are you ready?" Naruto asked.

Zabuza started laughing, and was laughing hard. "You sure don't learn, do you?"

"What?" Naruto asked with a hint of irritation.

"Still pretending to be ninja? When I was your age, my hands were already soaked in blood," Zabuza said looking at his right hand.

"The Demon Zabuza," Kakashi said looking at his jailor.

"Oh? It looks like you heard of me."

"A long time ago, the Hidden Mist was known as the Village of the Bloody Mist. In that village, there was an obstacle that existed to become ninja," Kakashi stated.

Zabuza turned his head, "So you also know about the final test then."

"Final test?" Sakura asked.

Zabuza lightly laughed, "Students killing each other. Friends who have eaten from the same pot are separated into groups of two and are forced to fight each other to the death. This is done with friends that have helped each other, shared their dreams and competed together," he told the group.

"That's awful," Naruto said with a paled face.

"Years ago, the Hidden Mist had to go through reformation, because in the previous year a monster appeared that finally decided it," Kakashi said.

"A reformation?" Sakura asked. "A reformation… What did that monster do?"

"A small boy who had not even gained the right to become a ninja killed more than a hundred of the recruits that year. And killed them without hesitation," Kakashi told the group.

Zabuza's eyes were darkened until he looked up into the sky, "That day was fun," He said. Next moment, Sasuke was elbowed in the gut and skidded on his back. Zabuza wasn't finished as he elbowed the same spot again but had the hard ground as support, making it more painful. Sasuke's mouth opened wide and he coughed up blood. Zabuza put his left foot on Sasuke's chest and pushed hard. "Die," Zabuza said as he tugged the hilt of his sword.

"Shit!" Naruto said before he formed the cross hand seal. ' _ **Shadow Clone Jutsu**_ _ **,**_ _'_ Naruto thought.

Tens of Narutos appeared around Zabuza and Sasuke, "Oh, shadow clones? And you made quite a few kid!" Zabuza said, looking at all the new Narutos.

All the shadow clones pulled out a kunai, "Let's go!" they all said in unison and jumped into the air. They closed around Zabuza and attempted to stab him.

Zabuza swirled on the spot swinging his huge sword, hitting all the shadow clones in one motion.

Sakura and Tazuna were wide-eyed at the useless attempts, "It's impossible! You can't beat a guy like him!" Tazuna said, terrified.

All the Narutos skidded across the ground and puffed into smoke. ' _I can use this method to beat him now,'_ Naruto thought. "Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he threw a folded Fúma shuriken at Sasuke.

Sasuke instinctively caught and noticed something about it when caught, ' _I see, I see what you want to do Naruto! It's pretty good,'_ Sasuke thought as he got in position _._ Sasuke unfolded it, "The Fúma shuriken, the shadow windmill," Sasuke said.

"A shuriken won't work on me boy," Zabuza said.

Sasuke ignored him, jumped high in the sky and threw the shuriken. The shuriken flew around the clone Zabuza and headed towards the real one, "I see. You're going after the real one this time. But it's too easy," he said catching the shuriken in his free hand. A second shuriken came into his visage and headed straight towards him, getting dangerously close. "Another shuriken was in the shadow of the first shuriken?" Zabuza said surprised.

"That's the **Shadow Shuriken Jutsu** **,** " Kakashi said, equally surprised.

' _A second shuriken was in his blind spot!'_ Sakura thought in shock.

"No!" Zabuza said as he jumped over the shuriken. "It's still too easy for me," he said with open eyes.

The shuriken barely went any further as it puffed into Naruto, revealing to be a transformation. This shocked the whole party apart from Sasuke. Naruto dug his foot into the ground and rocketed to Zabuza's back. He plastered a seal tag with the Kanji of fire on it. Naruto jumped back and formed the Ram hand seal and released the seal. Fire exploded on the back of Zabuza's back. Zabuza was in intense pain and shock that he took his right hand out of the water prison and jumped into the lake.

Zabuza jumped back out immediately, steam coming off his back on where the tag was and started spinning the Fúma shuriken he still had, "You damn kid! I'm gonna kill you!" he shouted as he was about to throw the shuriken. The shuriken stopped dead in its tracks as blood was sprayed into the air. Zabuza looked down and saw Kakashi blocking the shuriken with the back of his gloved hand.

Kakashi stared at the swordsman with a critical eye. "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried out happily.

"Naruto, your plan was impressive. You have all sure grown," Kakashi said.

Naruto grinned, "At least it worked," Naruto said as he looked at the two Jōnin.

Sasuke smirked, "It was just luck," He said.

"How could you say it was luck!?" Tazuna said, he couldn't believe his ears.

' _But being able to pull off such nice teamwork in a situation like this is… those two never got along once too,'_ Sakura thought amazed.

"Heh, I just lost myself temporarily and cancelled the water prison," Zabuza said.

"No. You didn't cancel the technique, you were forced to!" Kakashi said looking at Zabuza. Zabuza narrowed his eyes on Kakashi, "Let me tell you that the same move won't work on me twice. What are you going to do now?" Kakashi taunted.

"Sakura, don't let you guard down," Sasuke said as both he and Sakura moved in front of Tazuna. Naruto knew he wasn't needed so he jumped back to his teammates.

Zabuza folded the Fúma shuriken and applied pressure so the four blades dug into Kakashi's hand. Kakashi groaned in pain, having enough of it, he swung his right hand and arm away. The shuriken flew away from both men. They stared each other then jumped away from each other.

Zabuza started a long line of hand seals. Kakashi used his sharingan and started to copy them. The two deadly ninjas did forty-four hand seals, ending it on Bird. _' **Water release:**_ _ **Water Dragon bullet,**_ _'_ they both thought as two large water dragons came alive from the lake water and spun around each other.

The two dragons then launched themselves at their respective targets, they crashed into one another halfway and sprays of water went everywhere, acting like a wild storm. A small tidal wave went over the bank and flowed towards the Genin and Tazuna, their lower halves getting soaked with cold water. The dragons kept fighting in the air, their bodies crashing and their large jaws chomping each other.

' _He formed that many seals in just a few seconds, and copied them perfectly,'_ Sasuke thought impressed.

' _Their hands were moving so fast!'_ Naruto thought as he kept a keen eye on the battle.

Under the dragons, Zabuza and Kakashi were having a battle of strength, Zabuza's large sword against Kakashi's kunai.

' _Something's weird… What's going on? The sharingan is supposed to be an ability where the user memorizes the opponent's technique and copies it. But, the technique was executed at the same time. Did he...?'_ Zabuza internally spoke _._ "This guy!" he said and then jumping back. Kakashi copied his movement down to a started to jog in a curved direction with Kakashi mirroring his every movement. He stopped where Kakashi stood, growing annoyed.

Zabuza put his left hand up and did a one-handed ram seal with his right. Kakashi still moving just like him. "He's moving just like him! And with such perfect timing!" Tazuna said shocked.

"What's going on Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, keeping Tazuna still on the ground.

Sasuke kept silent as he eyes were glued to the action, ignoring those beside him.

' _This guy. My movement is being perfectly...'_

"Predicted by him," Kakashi said as he finished Zabuza's thought vocally.

' _What? He knew what I was going to say in my mind? Damn this guy…'_

"Has such unpleasant eyes, right?" Kakashi finished Zabuza's thought again.

"What you're doing is just copying. Nothing original," Zabuza said with widened eyes.

"You can't beat me, you asshole!" the two men said at the same time, freaking Zabuza out.

"I'll make it so that you'll never open that copycat mouth of yours again!" Zabuza said out loud as he went through some hand seals. He stopped when a dark figure appeared behind Kakashi. ' _That's… me? That can't be. Is he using a genjutsu?'_ Zabuza thought.

' _ **Water release: Great waterfall technique** ,_' Kakashi thought as his sharingan eye's tomoes started to spin, going faster and faster till all you could see was a black circle.

"Wha… What!?" Zabuza said surprised, as water built up around Kakashi and shot in his direction, sweeping him up and putting the intense pressure on his body. "This can't be!" he shouted before being completely swallowed up by the water.

' _I was the one who tried to execute the technique… but I couldn't keep up with him!'_ Zabuza thought hastily as his body was being pulled by the incredible currents in Kakashi's jutsu.

The water shot past the lake and headed inland, it was uprooting small trees and was digging up the ground. Water was pushing the Genin and Tazuna, making it hard for them to keep balanced.

Kakashi ended the jutsu and the water settled down. Zabuza was revealed as his back was against a tree and he looked worse for wear. Four kunai flew through the air and stabbed him in the arms and legs. He yelped in pain. Kakashi was on a branch above him, "This is the end," He said.

Zabuza turned his head, to see the copy ninja, "Why?" he asked. "Can you see into the future?"

"Yeah," Kakashi said, not blinking. He put his kunai, "You're going to die," He declared.

Blood spat up in the air as two senbon needles dug deep into Zabuza's throat and neck muscles. Zabuza's eyes went whiten and he collapsed on the ground. All of Team seven and Tazuna gasped and looked up to a tree in the distance to see a figure wearing a robe and a mask, with the symbol of the Mist on the top.

"It was true. He did die," The masked ninja said after a chuckle.

Kakashi jumped down and landed beside the still body of Zabuza. He put his fingers on his jugular vein to try and find a pulse. "He really is dead," He exclaimed. He then looked at the masked ninja.

"Thank you very much. I was looking for a chance to kill Zabuza," The masked ninja said.

"That mask… If I remember correctly, you must be a hunter-nin from Kirigakure."

"You are very well informed. I am from the pursuing unit that hunt down exiled ninja," The masked ninja said.

' _From his height and the sound of the voice, he must not be that different or older than Naruto or the others. And he is a hunter-nin. He's no ordinary kid,'_ Kakashi thought as he eyed the boy up.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked as he eyed up the masked ninja.

Kakashi stood up from his spot, "Naruto. He's not an enemy," Kakashi said.

"I know that! That's why I'm not asking. He killed Zabuza. He was so strong, even you struggled against him. But he was killed so easily by a kid like us. We look like idiots!" Naruto said.

Kakashi walked over to Naruto, "I understand where you're coming from, that you can't believe it. But this is real!" Kakashi then patted Naruto's head, "In this world, there are kids that are younger than you… and stronger than me," Kakashi said, getting grunts from both Naruto and Sasuke.

The masked ninja body-flickered to Zabuza's body, picked it up and put it over its shoulders. "Your battle ends here for now. I must dispose of the corpse. It's a body filled with secrets. If you'll excuse me," he says and body-flickering away with a gust of wind blowing where the person once was.

"Glad that's over. But, our mission hasn't ended yet. We need to get Tazuna-san back to his house," Kakashi droned out.

The old man started to laugh shakily, "Sorry about that everyone! Let's just rest at my house," he says.

"Yosh! Let's cheer up and go!" Kakashi said as he leads the group out of the woods. Five steps in, his whole body shook, and his lone eye stretched. He began to fall forward, the whole group noticing and gasping, and collapsed on the ground.

"What happened?" Sakura cried out, running to her sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked with a voice full of worry. "Kakashi-sensei!?" he cried out afterwards.

* * *

 **Hours Later**

' _I used my Sharingan too much… crap,'_ Kakashi thought as he was lying down in a comfortable futon.

"Are you okay, Kakashi-san?" a pretty woman with black hair asked, two bangs on either side of her face, wearing a pink and red top and a blue skirt.

"No, I'll barely be able to move for a week," he replied, looking similar to a fresh corpse. His skin was pale and his lone eye wanted to be shut tight forever.

"Then you shouldn't move around for a while then."

"Fine. Thank you, Tsunami-san," He said making himself more comfortable.

"Sensei is awake!" Naruto said happily as he could. After he said the words, Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna entered the room.

"The Sharingan is amazing, but it puts a lot of strain on the body, I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing," Sakura said.

"I'm sorry guys," Kakashi said sadly.

"But you defeated such a strong ninja. We should be okay for a while," Tazuna said in a cheery voice.

"By the way, who was that boy with the mask?" Sakura wondered.

"He had the mask of a hunter-nin from a special squad from the Hidden Mist's ANBU," Kakashi answered.

"Special squad?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, their job is to erase any evidence that a ninja was alive. A ninja's body will give away the secrets of jutsu and chakra of the village it was in, any specific medicine that was used on a body, along with various other things. For example, if I die, the secret of the sharingan will be examined. And with the worst-case scenario, there's a possibility that any technique, including the Sharingan, will be stolen.

So, pursuing ninja will killed exiled ninja who have abandoned the village and dispose of the Ninja's body. And stop any secrets of the village from being revealed. They are specialists in this field," Kakashi explained to his Genin.

Kakashi looked at their faces and saw Naruto's was all scrunched up, "Naruto, what's wrong?" he asked with a yawn.

The focus was on the blond, Naruto was hesitant to answer but he needed to say it to get it off his chest, "I've been thinking about how that hunter-nin killed Zabuza. I think Zabuza is still alive," he answered grimly.

Everyone gasped at his conclusion, "But Kakashi-sensei said he was dead. Do you not believe him!?" Sakura said loudly, only calming herself down recently from the scariest event of her life.

"Naruto. Explain," Kakashi asked as his eye focused on his student.

Naruto gulped from all the attention, but he needed to ease his mind. "Zabuza is supposed to be a former elite ANBU, yet he died by two senbon needles in the neck ttebayo. The neck has few muscles so it's easy to go into a deathlike state if hit in the right places," Naruto told them of his views on the whole mess.

Tazuna was first to speak up, "Don't you think you're overthinking it. Your sensei said he was dead and he looked it too," Tazuna said trying to convince himself.

"Yeah I bet Naruto is just trying to scare us!" Sakura said with a raised fist.

Kakashi thought over what Naruto said, ' _His older brother is an expert in medical ninjutsu and his preferred throwing weapon are those annoying needles. It makes sense how Naruto came to that conclusion, some of his older brother's medical knowledge rubbed off onto Naruto,'_ Kakashi thought. "Naruto, I'll have to agree with you," he said surprising the group.

"Sensei! You can't be serious!" Sakura said.

"No… now that I think about it. Naruto's point makes sense, too much sense. We'll have to assume he is alive. It'll better prepare us. And we can assume the hunter-nin is also a fake. But don't worry, if he's alive, his body won't work properly for some time. He has a week minimum to move around normally, I guess. That nasty burn you gave him Naruto will hamper his recovery," Kakashi said to the group, getting uneasy body movements and a slight glare from Sasuke. ' _He doesn't like the fact Naruto played a bigger part in the fight than he did,'_ Kakashi thought as he closed his eyes.

* * *

 **In the Forest**

Deep within the misty forest, a distance away from where the intense battle between Kakashi of the Sharingan and The Demon Zabuza. The masked person was preparing to their procedures to the body of Zabuza. The masked person took out a pair of scissors, "I have to cut the cloth on his mouth, and make him cough up the blood first," the masked ninja said as the scissors approached the mask of Zabuza.

"I can do that on my own," Zabuza said as he grabbed the forearm of the masked ninja and used his free hand to pull off the mask covering his mouth.

"Oh? So, you came back to life already."

"Damn, you're so rough!" Zabuza said, pulling the senbon needles out of him by himself.

"Zabuza-san, please don't take those out so roughly. You'll die for sure."

"Hm. How long are you going to wear that fake mask? Take it off."

"I forgot because it's been a while since I used it last," The person said as they took off the mask, to reveal a feminine face with dark brown eyes. "It was also nice to use it to pull off that act. But if I didn't save you, you would have been killed for sure," the girl said.

"You didn't need to attack my neck like that if you wanted me in a death-like state. You're such a cruel girl Haku."

"I couldn't help it. I didn't want to scar your body, Zabuza-san… And it's easier to aim for the neck since it has fewer muscles," she said. Zabuza tried to move up but grunted in pain, "You won't be able to move for a week or so. But maybe you'll be able to move soon. After we get that burn treated up."

"You're pure, clever and not tainted at all. That's what I like about you. That damn blond kid. I underestimated him," Zabuza gritted out.

Haku blushed at the compliment, "I'm still a child so… Ah look. The fog has cleared."

"Yeah…"

"I can handle him but… Will you be okay next time?"

Zabuza had a sure look in his eyes, "Next time, I can deal with that Sharingan," He declared.

* * *

 **Tazuna's House**

"Sensei, I think we should quit the mission, this is way too much for us," Sakura whispered to Kakashi.

"I wish I could Sakura but I'm in no condition to move right now. And if we abandon it now, it'll look bad for Konoha and only worse things will happen to Tazuna and the people of the Wave. I'll send a message to Konoha for reinforcements," Kakashi responded.

Sakura nodded and gave her sensei some space, but she still felt that they should go back home.

"Sensei, what's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Ah… I just remembered that pursuing ninja only need to bring back the head of the target not the whole body…" Kakashi said sheepishly.

Sakura grew a tic mark, "Sensei, that would've been good information back in your fight. So, Sensei, how are you going to prepare for this before it's too late? You can't move for a while," She asked.

Kakashi proceeded to laugh. "I'm going to make you all go through some training," he replied.

"Wait, even if we train, it's not going to be very helpful. Since the enemy is a ninja that you, Kakashi-sensei the Sharingan user, had a difficult time with," Sakura pointed out.

"Sakura, who saved me when I had a difficult time?" Kakashi asked. "You three are growing at a rapid rate," he said with an eye-smile.

"Ah, Sensei, you know your stuff dattebayo. Now things are getting interesting," Naruto said.

"No, it's not," A young voice said.

Naruto and Sakura turned around and Kakashi moved his gaze to a young brown-haired boy wearing overalls and a white hat with two horizontal stripes going all around it. "Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"Oh Inari!" Tazuna asked.

"I'm home, grandpa!" Inari happily shouted as he ran and gave a hug to his grandfather.

Tsunami came over to the hugging males, "Oi Inari! Say hello to our guests. These are the ninja that escorted grandpa," She sternly said.

"It's okay. Right, Inari?" Tazuna said.

Inari looked at all the ninja, "Kaa-chan. They're all going to die. There's no way a person can win by going against Gatō," Inari said with no emotion.

Naruto just laughed, laughed hard at the statement. "Really ttebayo? Just you watch. At the end of this I'll be some kind of hero to you," Naruto said with a confident grin.

Inari covered his eyes with his cap, "A hero? How stupid. There's no such thing as a hero," he said grimly.

Naruto's face immediately soured, "What did you just say!?" Naruto asked with a hint of anger, surprising Sakura so much that she put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

Inari ignored him and walked out of the room after saying, "If you don't want to die, you should go home," he said.

"Where you are going, Inari?" Tazuna asked.

"I'll go watch the ocean," Inari said bluntly.

The room was silent and had an awkward atmosphere. "Sorry about that," Tazuna said looking back on the ninja.

Kakashi looked at Naruto, ' _Seems the kid has hit one of Naruto's nerves,'_ He observed.

Naruto left the room and began to climb the stairs, still fuming on what Inari said. "Damn brat! What does he know about heroes. I'll teach him a thing or two," He gritted out.

Naruto was closing in on Inari's bedroom, he stopped once he heard sniffling and small cries. Naruto's anger completely disappeared, and he looked through the small gap between the door and door frame. ' _He's crying? What for?'_ Naruto wondered.

Naruto peeked through to see Inari on the windowsill looking out the window to see the clear ocean. "Tou-chan…" he cried out quietly.

' _That's why,'_ Naruto thought as he felt bad for the boy. ' _Who is this Gatō and what does he want?'_ Naruto thought as he went away from Inari's room and back downstairs.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	10. Chapter 10 - Illusion

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 10 - Illusion**

In a forest clearing near the home of Tazuna the bridge builder. Kakashi and his team were near three tall trees that stood close to each other. The day was clear, and the temperature was rising.

"We will now begin the training," Kakashi said, using his crutches for support.

"Finally!" Naruto said, he couldn't wait for proper training.

"But before that, let me once again talk about chakra the base for the ability as a ninja," Kakashi said.

"At a time like this?" Sasuke asked with closed eyes.

"Sensei, we already know what chakra is," Naruto pointed out.

"Like Naruto said, and we already know how to use techniques," Sasuke added.

"No. you guys aren't able to use your chakra completely," Kakashi replied.

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked with non-believing eyes.

"Just listen up. Moulding chakra means to extract energies from both the body and the spirit, then mixing them up together in your body. And the amount of each energy will differ from the type of technique you wish to execute. In other words, the mixing or ratio will be different. You are not able to use your chakra effectively. Even if you are able to mould a large amount of chakra, if you cannot control the balance, your technique will only be half as effective or not executed at all. Wasting energy will create a weakness of not being able to last in a fight for a long time," Kakashi explained to his team.

The three all stared at him, "So? What should we do?" Naruto asked.

"You're going to learn how to control it. With your body. You must go through rigorous training where you put your life on the line," Kakashi said seriously.

The three Genin stared intently at Kakashi. "What are we going to do?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi closed his eye. "Hm," he looked up to the sky and tapped his chin, "Climb a tree," he said.

"Climb a tree!?" Sakura asked loudly.

' _Seriously?'_ Naruto thought, it was a silly build up to the exercise.

"That's right. But it's not ordinary tree climbing. You're going to climb without the use of your hands," Kakashi told them.

Sakura had a dim look on her face, "How do we do that?" she asked.

"Just watch," Kakashi said as he formed the Ram hand seal and flowed chakra to the bottom of his feet. He then hobbled to the nearest tree and started to walk up it, climbing it vertically.

"He's climbing the tree vertically with just his legs," Sakura said shocked of what she saw in front of her.

Kakashi was now hanging upside down on a thick branch, "This is how. Gather chakra at the bottom of your feet and make it attach to the tree trunk. Something like this is possible if you use chakra," Kakashi said.

"Wait a minute. How can we become strong by doing this?" Sakura asked.

"Now we get to the main topic. The main purpose of this exercise is to accumulate the right amount of chakra to the right location. The amount of chakra for this tree climbing exercise is quite subtle. And the most difficult place to concentrate chakra is behind the feet. In other words, if you are able to master this technique, you can learn any kind of jutsu. In theory that is. The second purpose of this exercise is to maintain your moulded chakra.

Most of the time, ninja mold their chakra during battle. In that situation, it is even more difficult to maintain that chakra. But… it's not like anything is going to happen even if I give this lecture. I need all of you to learn it with your bodies," Kakashi explained as he threw three kunai in front of each Genin.

"Use those kunai to mark where you were able to climb up to with your current ability. Then try to make a new mark above that mark. You guys aren't good enough to climb by walking, so run to give yourself a boost, and get used to it. Got it?" Kakashi asked.

All three nodded, Kakashi noticed that Naruto had a huge smile on his face and giggled.

' _Why is he so giddy?'_ Kakashi wondered. He then watched all three Genin form the Ram hand seal, they moulded their chakra and flowed it to their feet.

Sasuke and Sakura ran on ahead and climbed their respective trees, Sasuke climbed up a third of his tree, ten feet high and his left foot broke the bark off and he flew back. He flipped and landed gracefully. Sasuke was determined to try again but succeed this time.

"This is easier that I thought!" Sakura said. All three boys looked up and saw Sakura sitting on a branch with a happy grin, looking down on her teammates.

"Oh? It looks like the best one who is best at controlling their chakra is Sakura. The girl!" Kakashi said with an eye-smile. He looked down and saw Naruto was staring at his kunai. "Naruto, why haven't you tried yet?" he asked.

Everyone looked at Naruto. Naruto dropped his kunai, it dug into the ground. Walking to the tree where Kakashi was, Naruto climbed it up slowly and calmly and went to the branch where Kakashi was. There he went underneath and stood upside down beside his sensei, in perfect control. "Oh no! I was wrong. The best one controlling their chakra is Naruto. The Boy!" Kakashi said with shock.

The other two weren't doing much better. Sakura was wide-eyed. Sasuke was gritting his teeth and looked at Naruto, ' _How many times is it now that Naruto has surprised me! I can't believe I have been fooled by him for so long, he's clearly better than what he showed when we were in the Academy,'_ he thought with some annoyance.

Sasuke clicked his tongue and looked away from the two, ' _I wanted Sasuke-kun to compliment me. Why does it always turn out like this?'_ Sakura thought sadly.

"Sakura, your chakra control is splendid. And Naruto, for your large chakra reserves, I didn't know you had such great control either. Maybe the Uchiha clan isn't as great as I thought," Kakashi teased.

Sakura pointed her finger at Kakashi. "Shut up Sensei!" she shouted angrily.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke, ' _Sasuke has an incredible amount of chakra hidden in him that Sakura can't even match. If this training goes well for him, it will become a treasure for him,'_ he thought.

Kakashi turned his head and leaned into Naruto's ear. "When did you learn that? Kotero taught you already, didn't he?" he asked quietly.

Naruto nodded and leaned over to Kakashi. "Years ago. I can water walk Sensei. I thought he would've told you this," Naruto told him.

Kakashi started to go back through his memories and then it hit him, ' _He did tell me! After the bell test! How can I forget about that detail? First Zabuza and now this. I've been so off lately… Ah whatever, at least the other two needed it,'_ he thought as he and Naruto walked off the tree.

* * *

 **Forest Clearing**

Hours have passed since Team Seven started their chakra control exercise of tree climbing. Sasuke was the only one who had yet to climb to the top. It didn't help that he wasn't making it easy for himself. From the very beginning, he had picked the tallest tree he could see and stuck with it. Sasuke believed the harder the challange, the better the reward.

"Oi Sasuke," Naruto cried out. Naruto was traversing back to the forest clearing where Team Seven did their training. The forest was shaded and damp yet still bright at the treetops from the warm sun. Naruto hoped over a white slug that was in his path, then he lightly jogged to Sasuke.

A bird cry was heard. Naruto looked up and saw a pair of eagles swirling in a circle, high in the sky. One large and the other small. Was it a message for the future?

Sasuke who was panting hard, sitting on the ground with kunai in hand, the kunai had resin soaked edges from the long and intense training. "What do you want, Naruto?" he asked, not even looking at his teammate.

Naruto grew a tic mark, but he let it pass. "I have to mind Tazuna-ossan soon after Sakura. I wanted to see how you were doing," Naruto answered as he moved close to Sasuke.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he stood back up and ran up the tree, reaching just over halfway. He marked the bark and flipped and landed on his feet. "Damnit!" he growled in frustration.

Sasuke punched the nearby tree with his anger within the fist. The bark split and some blood flowed from Sasuke's left hand. Small cuts were made in his small fit of anger.

Naruto looked at the tree. "You made some good progress," he said with a genuine smile. "It's impressive."

"Shut up! I still haven't reached the top yet," Sasuke gritted out, sweat beading down his face.

"Makes sense," Naruto replied, still looking at the sheer amount of slashes that Sasuke made on the tree.

"How does it make sense? Are you calling me worthless!?" Sasuke asked with anger as he stood up again.

Naruto just looked at Sasuke, then he looked up in the sky, it was nearly late afternoon. "No. You are far from worthless ttebayo. It makes sense as you have more chakra than Sakura, much more. So, it's harder for you to control it, and I have done this before you guys. So, like I said it makes sense," he said as he walked back to Sasuke.

Sasuke calmed down after he heard those words. "So then, any tips?" Sasuke asked, with a flushed face turned away from Naruto.

Naruto stifled a laugh and patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Fine. The one thing that will help you most is to keep your mind absolutely clear. The only goal you should have is to climb this tree nothing else.

And, it looks like you're using too much chakra. I had the same problem as I nearly once destroyed a small tree. Just try to relax and it'll come to you," Naruto said to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with wide-eyes, he didn't realise that his mind and body was fogged up with his frustration. "Eh, Thanks Naruto," Sasuke stuttered, he wasn't used to this closeness.

Naruto saw that Sasuke was struggling to say his thanks, "I was wrong about you," Naruto said, making Sasuke look at him again. "I thought you were some ass-wipe that only cared for himself. Only wanted and to never give back, I thought you were selfish in every way," Naruto said as he started to walk away slowly. "I'm glad I'm wrong, cause now I have a friend in you."

"Friend!?" Sasuke gasped, he couldn't believe his ears. He thought Naruto hated him. "Are you serious?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, "Yes, you are my friend, and I am your friend whether you like it or not. And hopefully in the future we can get to know each other inside and out. That is something that I really want now," Naruto said before dashing off.

Sasuke was gob-smacked. His body was shaking slightly before stopping, being completely still. Sasuke exhaled and inhaled, a small smile formed on his lips and he turned around to face the tree. "Friend huh? Yeah… We're friends," he says under his breath, the smile never fading, and resumed his training.

Naruto jumped to the trees and hopped through the forest and raced to the bridge. As he passed through the town, he saw all the poor children in dirty rags, looking thin, malnourished.

Naruto continued and made it to the bridge. He saw Sakura in the distance, ' _I'll give her a good scare,'_ Naruto thought with an evil smile. He looked and saw she was sitting on the edge of the bridge, beside the rails, watching the workers.

Naruto chuckled as he started to walk on the side of the bridge, closing down on Sakura. Once Naruto was behind Sakura beyond the rails, he was about to do the deed until he heard a familiar voice. "You look bored by yourself. Where's the blond kid and the arrogant guy?" Tazuna asked.

Naruto stayed still and eavesdropped, "I don't know about Naruto but Sasuke-kun is still training," Sakura said.

"What about you?" Tazuna asked.

Sakura smiled and spread out her arms. "I'm so smart, Kakashi-sensei told me to guard you," she said with a smirk.

"Really?" Tazuna asked nonchalantly.

"Why you!" Sakura said with clenched teeth.

"HA! Tazuna-ossan, you crack me up!" Naruto chuckled out beside Sakura, already climbing the rail and masking his presence.

Sakura squeaked in fright and Tazuna was far enough to see it happen "Naruto!" Sakura said with a raised fist. She stopped as another man approached Tazuna.

"May I have a word, Tazuna?" the man asked.

"What is it? Giichi?" Tazuna asked.

From the distance, Naruto and Sakura watched the two man talk. Giichi, the worker was scared for his life. The way he talked, the way his eyes moved, shifting in all directions. Fear had taken over his body. Scared that Gatō will come and snatch his family away from him. Or worse, kill them.

Tazuna walked away with a huff. "Go home Giichi. You aren't needed anymore. Go home to your wife and kids," he said, his head shaking as he moved away from the frightened man.

Giichi had a broken expression, he then slumped his shoulders and went his way back to the Main Town.

Naruto and Sakura watched the scene with saddened expressions. "I'll take my shift now. You can do whatever Sakura," Naruto told her.

Sakura stood up with a happy face, "Right! Bye!" she said as she hurried down the bridge.

"Pssh, shes most likely going to stalk, then talk, then annoy Sasuke. Sometimes I feel sorry for him… sometimes hehe. Now, let's guard Tazuna-ossan," Naruto said, making a cross hand seal and making five shadow clones.

"I'll keep watch of Tazuna while you guys spread out and keep guard across the bridge. Eyes peeled dattebayo!" the original Naruto ordered. All the clones nodded with quick response and moving out.

The clones and the original kept their eyes on every nook and cranny, seeing if one of Gatō's goons will do anything dirty to Tazuna or the bridge workers.

The day was passing, and it was already evening, "Oi, brat. Time's up. Let's go home," Tazuna said to the Naruto closet to him. It puffed away and the original body-flickered beside Tazuna, scaring him. "You're going to give me a heart attack brat!" he shouted at Naruto.

Naruto got into a thoughtful pose with his hand under his chin. "Scaring someone to give them a heart attack to kill them eh… Not a bad idea Tazuna-ossan," he replied with a cheeky grin.

Tazuna just grumbled and turned to walk back home. "We have to pick up some ingredients for Tsunami. Come on," he said as he kept walking.

Naruto quickly caught up with him and walked on his right, a little bit in front of Tazuna. They entered the Main Town and walked through the streets. Both see men and women looking gaunt and some having signs with "I'll do anything for money" or "I will do any job" written on them.

"Thief!" was screamed out and Naruto and Tazuna watched a young boy with a small loaf of bread run into an alleyway. Naruto looked left and right and saw some of the same skinny children he saw before. His heart was sore from the images, they remind him too much of his past.

"This is it!" Tazuna said as he leads Naruto to a produce store. They went inside, after the dull greeting from the shopkeeper, Naruto looked at the shelves. Most were empty, only a few vegetables were in some.

A man entered the store wearing a long coat and a cap. He saw Naruto's packed pouches. Grinning he reached his hand out to the largest one. "I wouldn't if I were you," Naruto said, making the man freeze up.

"Even though I'm young, I can kill you in a hundred different ways. Each in less than a second. So, take this piece of advice," Naruto said calmly. "Get out."

The man ignored the advice and tried to grab the pouch anyway. Naruto instantly put him on the ground and arm-barred him, putting pressure on his joint, "Now will you believe me!" he shouted. Naruto then let's go, the man with terrified eyes ran away, holding his arm in pain.

Naruto turned around and dusted himself off, looking at Tazuna and the shopkeeper, both had wide-eyes. Naruto shrugged his shoulders. Tazuna proceeded to buy the ingredients and both left the store. They were strolling through the streets once more. "I was really surprised back there," Tazuna said, trying to break the awkwardness.

"I can't blame him. I used to be just like him," Naruto said grimly, getting a reaction from Tazuna.

Tazuna was going to ask what Naruto meant, but a young girl in dirty clothing grabbed Naruto's fingers. Naruto turned around to see the innocent face. "Give me," she said with her hands out to Naruto.

Naruto's face softened and he knelt down to her level, "Give you what?" he said with a small smile.

The girl blushed and mumbled, "Food please…" she said sadly.

Naruto sighed but still smiled at her. "Do you have friends that are also hungry?" he asked.

She wrapped her hands together and started to swerve slightly. "Yes…" she said softly.

"Bring me to them. Tazuna-ossan, we're taking a detour," Naruto said with authority in his voice. Tazuna had no objections and followed the young girl with Naruto. The girl lead then down two streets and then a town neighbourhood, were there were many children. Many looked up as soon they saw Naruto with the girl. "Wow, there are so many…" Naruto said in a whisper.

Naruto walked to the wall where there was a wooden box. He took out a scroll from his emergency pouch. ' _This is filled with Kotero-Nii's nutrient bars. They obviously need it way more than I do!'_ he thought as he flowed chakra on one of the seals on the scroll.

A puff of smoke came twenty-four bars appeared, four stacks of six. They were all wrapped in kitchen film. Naruto walked around the children and gave one each. The children were shocked to see food but quickly opened up the wrapper and ate the bars. Naruto gave them seconds, having much more in that sealing scroll.

All twenty-four were gone, eaten by the fifteen children who were only skin and bones. The young girl that lead Naruto to them was ecstatic and had tears forming under her eyes, "What's your name Nii-san?" she asked with happy eyes.

Naruto softly smiled, all the other children gathered around him to hear his name, "Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto," he said softly but loud enough to hear.

Afterwards, they asked questions on Naruto's life and all about him. They were jumping on their feet once they learnt he was a super-cool elite ninja. Half an hour went by and Naruto said his departures to the children, but not before receiving hugs from all of them at once. Tazuna was watching closely, his heart was lifted by the scene.

"You're a good kid with a truly kind soul," Tazuna said as he and Naruto were walking slowly from the town.

Naruto sighed, "I used to be like them. I… never want to see that kind of suffering again," Naruto said.

"Why is that? I thought Konoha was a big and rich village," Tazuna asked, curious about the blond.

Naruto kept silent until they went over a small bridge, "I had no family. Everyone hated me, ignored me and I was hungry all the time. That is all you need to know," Naruto said as he and Tazuna walked at a much slower pace.

"What happened to make it all better?" Tazuna asked.

Naruto kept silent once again until they reached the front door of Tazuna's house, "My hero came and saved me. Changing my life forever and for the better," Naruto said with such love and passion it made the old man smile.

Tazuna opened the door to see Kakashi sitting by the table and his daughter in the kitchen. "We're home," he said.

"Tou-san, you're back. But why are you two so late?" Tsunami asked with a hand on her hip.

"Sorry, Tsunami-san. I had to do something and Tazuna stayed with me," Naruto said politely and apologetically.

Tsunami waved her hands in front of her and had a kind smile, "No, don't worry Naruto-kun. I was just slightly worried that's all," she said as Tazuna gave her the bag of ingredients and took out some sake from the shelf. Tazuna moved to sit at the head of the table, beside Kakashi.

"Ah… okay. I'm going to take a nap," Naruto said as he moved and climbed up the stairs, leaving Tazuna, Tsunami and Kakashi alone.

Kakashi kept a critical eye on Naruto. "What happened?" he asked sternly to Tazuna.

Tazuna was taken back by the force behind it, "Excuse me?" was all he could stutter before having any sip of his drink.

Kakashi laid his eye on the bridge builder, "Tell me why Naruto is depressed right now?" Kakashi asked again, gaining the attention of Tsunami.

Tazuna gulped slightly, "He told me a bit of his life…" Tazuna answered.

Kakashi turned his full body to Tazuna, despite the fatigue and pain. "Tell me everything!" Kakashi ordered.

Tsunami stopped what she was doing and sat across Kakashi, wondering why this was so important. Tazuna gulped again, "We were walking through town, and the brat saw all the effects of Gatō. The hunger, the lack of money, the pain. We then saw a young kid who stole some food. I looked at Naruto… and he looked depressed, his whole body showed it.

We then went into the shop to pick up dinner. A man tried to steal from the brat, but Naruto warned him. The guy tried to grab and run but he stopped him in less than a second. He let him go afterwards.

After I bought the stuff, I told him how surprised I was at the scene. He said he used to be just like that. I was going to ask, but a small kid, no older than Inari, came and grabbed his hand. Asked him for food. But the brat wanted to see all her friends. She leads us to a group of kids, the oldest probably is ten years old. Naruto, gave them all food, it was a large bar, the size of my hand and as thick as my finger. They wolfed it down and he gave them more. Afterwards, they all hugged him when we said goodbye.

When we were finally coming home, I told him how good of a man he is. He said the same thing as last time, saying "I was just like them" and I asked why that was. What he said, saddened me deeply," Tazuna said grimly.

Tsunami put her hand on her father's, "What do you mean?" she asked with worried eyes.

Tazuna looked at her with sorrowed eyes, "He had a terrible life, no childhood. He had to survive on his own. An orphan. He told me everyone hated him. Nobody loved him," Tazuna said as he takes a gulp of sake and slams the bottle on the table.

"The only food he had to rely on was what he caught. He was probably malnourished, and he had to rely on instant ramen cups to survive. Tsunami-chan, this kid has suffered so much. It's heart-breaking. I have no idea how he is like he is now," Tazuna finished.

Tsunami was tearing up, "What happened to change that?" she asked, gripping her father's hand, her nails digging into his skin.

Tazuna looked up to the ceiling, "His hero. He came and saved him and changed his life forever," he said with a small smile. He turned his head and saw Kakashi looking depressed as well, Tazuna could swear he saw regret in the man's eyes.

Tsunami looked at Kakashi, "Who is Naruto-kun's hero? Kakashi-san?" she asked.

Kakashi sighed deeply and rubbed his face. "I have to say this first. Naruto is a very private person despite his loud personaility. Only a few people know that information. I'm honoured that he told me himself one day. The pick pocketer, the town, the hungry children. All of that must have stirred up all his feelings, so much that he needed to vent it out in some way. He usually is tight-lipped with any of that.

All of what he said was true. Many, many things… too much has happened to Naruto in his short life. For most of his life, he lied to himself. Trying to get through every day with a beaming smile even though he was utterly depressed. Naruto as a kid had miniscule positivity and an unbelievable amount negativity surrounding him. He was all alone.

A few days after his tenth birthday… something happened to change Naruto's life," Kakashi said with a sad voice.

Tsunami had some tears were rolling off her face, her heart was aching over the horrific story of Naruto. "What happened?" she asked before covering her face with her hands, wiping off the tears.

Kakashi put his head up high. "Naruto's brother came," he stated.

Tazuna raised an eyebrow, "You both said he had no family. How can he have a brother?" he asked.

"Naruto's brother didn't know about his existence days before he found him. Technically, Naruto's brother, Uzumaki Kotero, is his older cousin. Naruto's Aunt died but before she died she gave Kotero some important documents and told him all about her younger sister, Naruto's mother.

Kotero found out that his Aunt lived in Konoha and headed over there, despite his own depression by burying his own mother who died from illness. It took some time and a couple of hard nights for him, but eventually Kotero came to Konoha.

After Kotero found Konoha, did all the Hokage's tests to see if he was legitimate, he was told his Aunt died, but she had a son. Naruto. I don't know all the details on why they didn't meet at all but neither do they. It seemed like there was some unknown distrust between Kotero's mother and Konoha, or even his Aunt.

The Hokage told me what happened the first time they met. They were crying into each other's arms. Kotero declared that they will be brothers from there on and forever. Both were depressed, Naruto over his loneliness, Kotero over the death of his mother. Both needed each other and grew stronger at the end. If you ever see them together, you can see the love they have for each other," Kakashi said with a smile under his mask.

The other two smiled, knowing the story has had a happy ending. "But Kakashi-san, does the village still treat Naruto-kun like that? And his teammates don't seem to hate him at all," Tsunami asked while wiping her face dry with a cloth.

Kakashi nodded. "Sakura and Sasuke don't know about any of the mistreatment. It is only the adults of the village and the adolescents from the time of Naruto's birth that did the disgusting deeds. I can't tell you why as it is a village secret on why everyone strongly dislikes Naruto, but Naruto's generation have no clue on it either.

Don't worry about Naruto now. The villagers and Ninja are too scared to do anything to Naruto," Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

"Why are they so scared?" Tazuna asked.

"They're so scared because of his brother. He gets very angry if someone mistreats Naruto," Kakashi said.

Tsunami leaned in. "How strong is he?" she asked.

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, "Honestly, I have no idea… I spar with him, and I have great difficulty even with my Sharingan. He always tricks you to do something so he can break your defence. Or he might just go into close combat and try to tire you out. Both he and Naruto are so unpredictable in their attacks, and both have amazing stamina. You definitely don't want either as your opponent.

Kotero happens to take over his Aunt in that he has a very bad temper, she was well known for it. That's why nobody touches Naruto. They're scared on what his fury would do. Even if they didn't leave any clues, he would find out who did it. Naruto is the most important person to him. He would never stop his search on who did it. I would never say revenge is a good thing, but it would be impossible to stop him from destroying the one who hurt Naruto for the 'reason'. He wouldn't hold back.

Naruto is the same story. He loves his older brother so much. I'd say if Kotero died, his entire world would crumble, just like if Naruto died, Kotero's world would crumble," Kakashi finished with a scratch on a chin.

Both Tazuna and Tsunami smiled at the story. "I wonder what Naruto-kun's brother is like in person?" Tsunami asked.

"Well Tsunami, he's a great friend and comrade, that's for sure, but that's only to the people he likes, or at least to the people that don't piss him off.

He isn't a bad person at all, no far from it but he can be quite… harsh at times. If you make a big mistake on a mission, he won't personally attack you, but he will tell and show that it was your fault.

Kotero can be blunt at times and always tells the whole truth, even if it means hurting you. Not physically of course, but he has made some ninja insecure with their skills. Obviously, some dislike him for this but I have seen some train harder and improve. I think he just wants people to be the best version of themselves.

We have tried telling him not to be so critical, but he can't help himself, sometimes it drives us through the roof. It is fact however that the shinobi body highly respect his skills. That's for certain. I can't say for the rest of the village. It's an associational hate when it comes to those loveable brothers.

I must ask you two to keep this to yourselves. Naruto doesn't trust Sasuke and Sakura wholeheartedly for him to reveal this part of his past, so they don't know much about him apart from his addiction to ramen amongst other things. It was hard enough for him to even speak a couple of words of it to me when I became his sensei and I say I only got to know so soon as he knew his brother and I were already good friends," Kakashi said.

"Of course! I don't want anything bad happening between Naruto-kun and his teammates. He's such a sweet and polite boy. I'm going to put extra effort into his dinner tonight," Tsunami declared as she got up and dashed to the kitchen and put on her apron in an instant, already chopping the vegetables.

Kakashi and Tazuna were surprised on the woman's enthusiasm but couldn't blame her. "I understand," Tazuna said, "I like the kid… a lot actually. Even though I thought he was a good for nothing brat who couldn't be a ninja the first time I saw him… he kept proving me wrong, time and time again. And with his story being revealed to me now, I have nothing but respect for the kid. Hell, I'd say he's a bigger man than I am and I'm five times his age," he laughed out.

Kakashi could only nod. "I would say the same thing. I'll do anything for my precious students," he admitted.

Tazuna could only laugh, "Kakashi-san, that's good to hear," Tazuna said.

The two men relaxed in their chairs, leaving Tsunami to do the dinner.

"Naruto wake up!" A familiar voice called.

Naruto's body spasmed and his eyes shot open. "Nii-chan?" he said quietly looking around the room. He sighed and rubbed his head, "What the hell was that? Must be my imagination," he told himself.

Naruto slipped out of the futon and looked at the clock. "An hour's nap. I feel so much better now," Naruto yawned out with a few stretches. He exited the empty bedroom and went down the stairs to see his team sitting by the table with Tazuna at the head. A seat was empty beside Kakashi.

"Evening everyone!" he said happily as he walked to his seat. He was about to sit down before being spun and pulled into a tight hug, "AH!" he squeaked out.

Tsunami giggled as she hugged the boy tighter and leaned into his ear, "You're such a great and handsome man Naruto… I hope you like my dinner," she said in a loving manner. She let go and dashed back to the kitchen. Naruto's face turned red as he sat down. Tazuna was shocked from the behaviour his daughter was showing and Kakashi was slightly fuming.

"I should tell my sob story more often," Kakashi mumbled under his mask.

Naruto looked up to Kakashi. "You okay Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi sighed and covered his face with his book, "I'm fine Naruto, thanks for asking," he said with no emotion.

Tsunami prepared everyone a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup. "Inari! Come down! It's dinner time," she shouted as she filled the bowls. Inari appeared from the stairs and took his place at the table, between his grandfather and Sasuke.

Tsunami pulled a chair between Naruto and Sakura at the tail of the table. She moved back to the kitchen counter to where the food was. Tsunami got all the bowls on a tray and brought it to the table. She grabbed herself two bowls of each and gave a set to herself and Naruto, "There you go Naruto-kun," she said happily as she sat comfortably on her chair.

"Thanks Tsunami-san," he said.

The others grabbed their bowls, ignoring the woman and blond boy. They were all eating their meals.

Sasuke was eating his at a quick rate. The others were surprised at the rate of food going into his mouth. He stood up with his empty bowl in hand. "Seconds please!" he asked.

Sasuke had some food go back up his throat but thankfully he swallowed it back down. Naruto saw the face of Tsunami and then the kitchen, there was no food left. "Sasuke here," Naruto said as he gave him a near full rice bowl. "You trained hard today, and this tasty soup is all I need!" Naruto said happily.

The others apart from Inari smiled at this. Sasuke took the rice bowl without hesistation. "Thanks Naruto," Sasuke said with genuine gratitude.

Sakura was astounded on what unfolded in front of her eyes. ' _What happened between Naruto and Sasuke-kun? They wouldn't get along once and now they're acting as if they are… friends,'_ she thought as she ate her meal.

Naruto smiled and sat back down and dug into his soup. The group finished their dinner and Tsunami started to clean the dishes with Naruto aiding her. "Ah this is fun. I haven't had a meal with so many people in a long time," he said as he finished his meal.

Sakura was looking at the only hanged photo in the room, "Say, why are you hanging a torn picture?" she asked. "Inari-kun was watching this the whole time during dinner. The torn part looks like someone tore away the person who was there on purpose," Sakura said.

Inari, Tazuna and Tsunami tensed. "It was my husband," Tsunami said while she was cleaning up the dishes with Naruto helping her.

Naruto saw her face soured. ' _Sakura hit a bad memory. Damn,'_ he thought while drying the dishes.

Tazuna sighed, "He was the man known as the hero of this town," Tazuna said solemnly.

Inari pulled out of his chair and walked away from the table. "Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami asked. Inari ignored her and left the room. Tsunami looked at Naruto, who nodded to her. She mouthed a thank you and left to go chase after her son, "Tou-san! I told you not to talk about him in front of Inari," she said with anger as she left the dining area.

Tazuna sniffled slightly. "What's wrong with Inari-kun?" Sakura asked.

"It seems like there is a reason behind this," Kakashi stated.

Tazuna kept his eyes on the table, "Inari had a father, a step-father. They were very close, just like any father and son. Inari used to laugh a lot back then. But…" Tazuna stuttered out the end with a tear falling down his face.

The team apart from Naruto looked at him. "But… Inari changed. After the incident that happened to his father. The word 'courage' was forever taken away from the people on these islands and Inari. After that day. And that incident," Tazuna struggled to finish saying as tears rolled off his face.

"That incident? What happened to Inari?" Kakashi asked.

Tazuna sighed, "To explain the terrible incident, I will need to tell you about the man who was known as a hero on this island," Tazuna told them.

"A hero?" Naruto asked as he put the kitchen cloth over his shoulder and retook his place beside Kakashi.

"It was about three years ago when the man and Inari met one another. Inari was being bullied by three rascals. They were trying to take his dog Pochi away. They were all at the docks. Eventually the main kid, Akane, threw Pochi into the sea. Inari wanted to save the pup but couldn't swim. Then he was pushed into the water.

This isn't very important, but at that moment, Pochi learnt the dog paddle. He's such a good boy.

Anyway, Inari drowned. He thought he died. Next thing he knows, he's at the coast beside a fire. A man saved him and cooked some food for him and Inari. They had a long chat. His name was Kaiza. He was a fisherman who came to this island seeking his dream. A real man's man.

Ever since the drowning, Inari started to become attached to Kaiza. He probably became attached since he lost his father before he could remember anything. He followed him around everywhere all the time like he was sort of a ball and chain. And they became just like any father and son. It didn't take long for Kaiza to become part of the family.

Also, Kaiza was a man that we needed in this town. Months ago, the dam broke. Sector B would have been completely flooded if it weren't for Kaiza. After that, the people here started calling him a hero and Kaiza became a father Inari could be proud of. Gatō turned his eye on this town around that time.

And one night, he kidnapped him, tortured and completely broke his arms into pieces. They turned blue when he was hanged up in the centre of town, the blood vessels or something must have burst all over.

Then… he was killed by Gatō's goons in front of the townspeople. Inari changed ever since that time. Tsunami and the people of this town as well," Tazuna said sadly as he sunk into his chair.

Naruto stood up and threw the kitchen cloth onto the hanger with skill at a distance. "Hm, seems like Inari needs someone to prove that heroes still exist. I'll prove it to him," Naruto said with a clenched fist.

* * *

 **Inner Forest**

Early in the next day, Haku was gathering herbs to make medicinal burn cream and other medicine. She was wearing a pink kimono with a white sash wrapped above her waist. Her hair was loose. She raised up straight, and a bird landed on her shoulder. She gave it a smile and the bird turned its head looking at Haku. The bird flew off, Haku giggled and looked at it flying away. Then something caught her attention. A short blond boy was sitting against a tree, with a small crater in front of him.

He looked like he was sleeping but his face was slightly scrunched up, as if he was having a bad dream. Haku moved closer to the blond. Haku knelt beside the blond and remembered his face, ' _This is the ninja that gave Zabuza-san a hard time,'_ Haku thought. She moved her hand until it was very close to the throat of Naruto.

Haku was contemplating on whether or not to eliminate Naruto but she didn't get the chance. She was flipped on the ground. Naruto was on top of her. Pinning her down, tangling one his legs between her legs. His knee was at her crotch.

Naruto looked into the girl's eyes, they dark brown had no malicious intent. "I'm sorry," he gruffly said. "I thought you were an attacker," Naruto said apologetically as he pulled himself away from her and put out his hand.

She took it and pulled herself up, "You were going to catch a cold if you slept there any longer," she said with a smile.

Naruto looked at her with a softer expression, "So you woke me up huh. By the way, what are you doing out here ttebayo?" Naruto asked.

"Picking herbs," she answered.

"Herbs? Really? I don't know too much about them, but I'll help you out… um-"

"Haku."

"I'll help you Haku since I jumped on you. The name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said while scratching the back of his head.

"Thanks, I need to get some to heal a friend," she replied happily.

Haku lead Naruto to where she was, her basket was left there, half full of herbs.

Naruto looked at the herbs while he sat down on the grass, "Chickweed?" he asked while picking some.

Haku was impressed, "I thought you said you didn't know much about herbs."

"I did because I don't. My Nii-chan knows all about this stuff. I experimented with fire, so he got me herbs to make remedies. This isn't the greatest stuff for burns though. Just helps it. If you want to treat burns well, go with Aloe Vera and ice. Too bad that stuff only grows in the Land of Wind," Naruto said.

Haku was nodding along, "You have good knowledge for someone that claims they don't."

"Yeah, thanks Haku-chan. You should see my Nii-chan if you want a medical opinion, guy is a smartass most of the time. So, your friend got a nasty burn? What was he doing, making a fire and caught in it?" Naruto asked.

"Something like that," Haku replied with a smile. "He got burned pretty bad, but it is healing remarkably well," Haku told Naruto.

Naruto sighed. "Why are you doing such a job in the morning?" he asked.

"Why are you outside sleeping so early in the morning?" Haku asked.

Naruto smiled, and he put his hands on his knees. "Training!" he said with a smile.

Haku's face was blank, she blinked twice. "Are you a ninja or something?" she asked. "That forehead protector is Konoha's right?"

Naruto grinned, "So I do look like one! HA, yes! I am a Konoha ninja ttebayo. Proud of it," Naruto replied.

"Wow, you're amazing," Haku said as she stared at Naruto.

Naruto's face changed to a neutral expression, "Me? Amazing? Sorry Haku, but I'm not amazing. I know a thing or two but… I still have a long way to go before anyone can call me amazing," he said seriously, but he started to laugh afterwards.

"But, why were you training?" she asked.

"I want to become stronger," Naruto answered without hesistation.

"But you look strong enough already," Haku said.

"No, I need to become stronger. So, I can become Hokage ttebayo. If I become Hokage, I can protect Kotero-niichan and all my friends. That's why I fell asleep there ya know, lost track of time hehe," Naruto said.

Haku giggled and brought her hand to her mouth, "What's so funny?" Naruto asked.

"So, you do have someone that's important to you?" She said.

"Important would be a huge understatement!" Naruto replied.

"A person is able to become truly strong when they wish to protect someone they cherish," Haku said with a smile.

Naruto smiled as well, remembering the Hokage, Iruka, Kakashi and especially his older brother. "Yea. I understand that," he said with a big smile.

Haku stood up and grabbed her basket. "You will become stronger. Let's meet again sometime. Oh, and I'm a boy," Haku ended.

Naruto tensed. ' _What! Haku isn't a girl!? But I didn't feel her… his… it's dick with my knee and she… he… it smelled like lavender. Hm…'_ Naruto thought hard and had one more look at the enigma. His eyes widened and then he just laughed hard. He then turned around and walked back towards Tazuna's house, "Haku-chan!" he shouted.

Haku turned around and looked at the back of Naruto, "You look better with the mask off. I'll see you later," he said as he body-flickered away from the clearing, his presence vanished.

Haku stood there frozen in place, a shiver crawled down her spine, "He knows who I am. How?" she whispered to herself. "He couldn't smell me before, my hair-do is different. It must have been the herbs. He was the one gave the burn. I underestimated him. If he knows I lied to him about my identity, then he's figured out my true identity. I don't know what he's going to do," Haku said as she bit her lower lip with worry. "Is it too much to hope he'll keep it a secret?"

* * *

 **Tazuna's House**

"Good morning," Sakura yawned out, rubbing her eyes entering the kitchen where everyone else was.

Tsunami came over and put a bowl in front of her, "Here's breakfast Sakura," she said as she went back to the kitchen.

"Thank you," Sakura said as she began to eat her food.

Kakashi was looking at his two Genin, scratching the back his glove where a small metal plate was sewn in.

"Naruto didn't come back home last night, either?" Tazuna pointed out with some rice still in his mouth.

Sakura looked at Tazuna, "He's stupid, he's been out every night, but I have no idea what he is doing. He might be dead from excessive chakra use," she said.

"Is Naruto-kun alright? He could have been starving all night by himself," Tsunami asked with worry in her voice.

Kakashi looked up from his fingers and faced the woman, "There's no need to worry. He's a good ninja, even though at times he doesn't look it," Kakashi said with confidence.

' _There's no way he could die from chakra exhaustion, he probably has more than me by now. I can't blame Sakura for saying that though, Naruto hasn't shown most of the skills he has in front of the team,'_ Kakashi thought as he scratched his glove again.

Sasuke interlaced his fingers and looked ahead of him, "I don't know about that. Maybe he really is dead," Sasuke said as he got out of his chair and walked to the front door.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked out loud.

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks but didn't turn around. "I'm going for a walk. Maybe the idiot will show up" he said. "I'll bring him home."

"But we're going to eat," she replied but the door opened, Sasuke was about to leave. She turned her head and saw that Sasuke's plate was already food free, "That was fast," she said with a shaky smile.

"AH! Dobe," Sasuke yelped loudly, Naruto appearing in front of the door after it was opened.

Naruto began to laugh, holding his stomach. Sasuke's eyebrows were twitching madly. Naruto recovered and used the door frame as support to stabilise himself "Who knew hehe… that the mighty Uchiha Sasuke would scream like a girl just from the look of his teammate. HA! I can't make this stuff up!" Naruto said as he passed Sasuke, who was giving him a death glare after the comment.

Naruto took his place on the table, beside Tazuna. "Hope I'm not late for breakfast?" he asked with a beaming smile.

"Of course, not Naruto-kun. I saved some just for you!" Tsunami said with her own smile, bringing a tray of breakfast foods. Naruto wasted no time digging into the food after he thanked the woman.

Sasuke returned to his seat, seeing that Naruto already has returned. Sakura turned Naruto "Naruto, what were you doing out there? You had us worried sick!" she said with hints of anger behind her voice.

Kakashi and Sasuke perked up, wondering on the same thing. Naruto stopped eating and wiped his mouth, "Some super special training. I'm haven't got much progress though, but I'm sure I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong!" Naruto said with glee.

Kakashi stretched his back, a loud crack was heard, "Naruto, what kind of training are you doing? I will help if you want it," he said with his lone eye looking at Naruto.

Naruto shook his head, "Thanks for the offer Sensei, but I know what to do for it… but it's just a very long process. I only started doing this training two months ago," Naruto told the group as he further delved into his little feast.

Sakura wasn't interested as her eyes were now to Sasuke's face, which is now slightly tense. ' _Special training? Is this why Naruto is so much stronger than before. What is this training? Naruto… what are you doing?'_ Sasuke wondered as he interlaced his fingers again and covered his mouth with it.

' _Two months...? That's around the same time Kotero has left for his long-term mission. He must have left a training regime for Naruto when he was gone on his mission. I wonder what this training could be?'_ Kakashi also wondered.

"Naruto, just tell us next time if you are going to be training late. I don't want you sleeping out there again," Kakashi ordered loosely.

Naruto just nodded, "Okay Sensei!" he shouted as he finished his breakfast.

* * *

 **Forest Clearing**

Hours later, it was already night. The sun was nowhere to be seen as the moon was high in the sky, reflecting the pure white light onto the land. Deep in the forest, there were two silhouettes standing on top of the trees.

"Let's go home," Sasuke said with a smirk.

Naruto looked at him with a wry smile, "Yeah. I'm starving," Naruto yawned out. Naruto slipped off the top and fell towards the ground at speed. Just as he was approaching the ground, he let his feet stick to the branch that was closest to the ground. Sticking, his speed decreased dramatically. Naruto than hopped to the ground, landing silently. Naruto looked to his right and saw Sasuke land beside him by jumping down different parts of the tree. Both then walked briskly to Tazuna's house, both not saying a word but were enjoying the companionable silence.

After a few minutes, Naruto and Sasuke as they arrived at Tazuna's house were about to open the front door, but Naruto put his hand up to stop them and then put his ear up to the door. Sasuke followed suit.

"They're late. I understand why Naruto is late, but Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said with a bored voice.

Naruto just sighed and Sasuke had a small smile. ' _What will it take for Sakura to see that I'm not an idiot anymore?_ ' Naruto thought sadly.

Naruto then turned the handle and went inside, letting Sasuke go in front of him. Both had dirt on them, scratch marks were evident on their hands and face. "What's with you two? You look really dirty and tired," Tazuna asked with tired eyes.

Naruto chuckled, "Just good training ttebayo," Naruto said as they moved further in the room. "Sasuke got to the top of the tree," Naruto said happily.

"Good," Kakashi said with a nod. "Naruto, Sasuke. You two will guard Tazuna-san next time as well," Kakashi said.

Both Naruto and Sasuke smiled at this and took their places for dinner. The dinner was served and quickly disappeared. There was very little conversation until to the end of the meal. "The bridge is almost complete. It's all thanks to you guys," Tazuna said with contentment.

"Don't push yourself too hard Tou-san, you're not getting any younger," Tsunami said as she took the plates off the table.

Tazuna just grumbled under his breath and looked at the ninja again. "I wanted to ask this before, but why are you still here even when I lied about the request details?" Tazuna asked.

Kakashi closed his eyes and wrapped his hands together, "Not doing the right thing when you know it's right, is a coward's way. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant leader. The Yondaime Hokage said those words," Kakashi said looking at the confused faces of Tazuna and Tsunami.

Inari looked from his plate to Naruto, who was rubbing his face with his hands and leaning forward on his chair. "Why?" he quietly said.

Naruto perked up, "You say something?" he asked, blinking his eyes to waken them up.

Inari slammed his tiny hands on the table and stood up with an angry expression on his face, "Why are you trying so hard that you end up like that? You can't beat up Gatō's men even if you train! No matter how hard you try and say those good-looking words. Weak people are going to lose against strong people!" Inari shouted at the group mainly at Naruto.

Naruto tilted his head to the side before puffing, "Shut your mouth. This is different," he said with no enthusiasm, steel was present in his voice.

Inari lost his composure, "Shut up! It pisses me off when I watch you! You don't know anything about this country, and you're so nosy! I'm different from you, someone who doesn't know any real pain and just laughs all the time!" Inari shouted, losing all control of his volume.

Naruto stared at the young boy with a sharp and deadly stare, he was holding back boiling anger, the false claims from Inari were truly angering Naruto. "Is that why you're pretending to be the main character of a tragedy, crying all the time, acting if you're the most important person?" Naruto said coldly, never easing his stare. "A stupid little boy like you that doesn't know true pain can just keep crying. You damn Cry-baby!" Naruto said with coldness at the end to emphasis his point.

"Naruto! That's too much!" Sakura yelled at Naruto. Naruto turned his face and stared at Sakura. Sakura had to move back from the sudden intense pressure that was radiating from Naruto.

Naruto stood up and left the room, before he left, "You haven't suffered like the starving children in your own country and you have no idea what hell I've been through," Naruto gritted out before he went through the front door and closing it, leaving the kitchen.

Inari was still crying at the table. Kakashi was sadly looking at the boy, he turned his head to Tazuna and Tsunami. They had expressions of disappointment and sadness, knowing the tragic past of Naruto, they couldn't compare their suffering to his.

The atmosphere was awkward. Inari left through the front door, slamming it behind him. The group who stayed breathed a sigh of relief they didn't know they had. Tsunami went back to scrubbing the dishes and everyone kept quiet.

About fifteen minutes after the outburst from Inari, Kakashi left the house to get some fresh air. He went to the dock and saw Inari sitting by the edge, holding his knees to his chest.

"May I?" Kakashi asked as he edged closer to the boy. Inari turned his head, then turned it back to where it was. ' _He didn't say no,'_ Kakashi thought as he took his place beside the child.

"Naruto didn't say that out of spite, he didn't want to make you depressed. Naruto is… very stubborn. We heard about you dad from Tazuna-san the other day. Naruto is similar to you, but he never had his father around at all. Naruto doesn't know what parents are really. Naruto also… didn't have a single friend for most of his life. However, he's never been sulky or timid. I never seen him cry. He has one person in his heart, he wants that person to be proud of him. And he's able to put his whole life on the line for that goal.

Naruto is probably bored crying by now. That's why he knows the true meaning of being strong. Like your dad. Naruto might be the one who understands you the most. What Naruto said to you at dinner… those are probably the words he's been telling himself over and over again before his brother and him united," Kakashi said ending his piece.

Inari took in the words and his eyes widened. He brought his eyes back to the water to see his reflection, he felt the disappointment beginning to grow inside himself.

* * *

 **Outskirts of Main Town**

Naruto was walking down the dirt road that led to the Main Town in the Land of Waves. He was angry, furious. Not at Inari anymore, that quickly passed since he knows how Inari feels. His anger was from Gatō and his corrupt ways. Gatō is the cause of all the pain and suffering in the Land of Waves. Gatō is responsible for all the innocent deaths in this poor country, and others. Naruto didn't know how far Gatō's grip is on the world, but he was sure it stretched far and wide.

Naruto had this heavy feeling ever since Tazuna mentioned the problem back on the row boat. How can this country be safe if Gatō is still around? Gatō is a rich man, it would be easy for him to either blow up or buy out the bridge. Naruto knew the bridge would only serve a temporary solution to the bigger problem. Gatō needed to go away, and go away forever. A burden that needed to be cleaned up.

"He needs to die," Naruto said solemnly.

How? That was running through Naruto's mind repeatedly. How could he, a newly made Genin take down such a figure? Naruto couldn't bring in the rest of his team into this. Kakashi would tie him up if he even suggested the idea to take down the corrupt tycoon. Sakura would hinder him, and she wouldn't even go along. Naruto especially didn't want to ask Sasuke. Sasuke needed to rest after his intense tree-climbing training and he didn't want to hurt his growing friendship with him. Asking him to help take down Gatō when he himself wasn't sure he could do it was just too much to ask.

"But if I don't do anything, we could all die, and this country would suffer much worse," Naruto said as he saw the lights from the Main Town. The lights shined brightly, a mixture of blue, yellow and red. Naruto kept walking onwards, he needed to ease his mind. Walking has always helped him clear up.

Naruto entered the town and was surprised to see lots of people around. He followed the crowd, to see what was happening. Naruto took off his Konoha forehead protector and orange sleeveless jacket to blend better with the crowd. Now he was just a blond with a black shirt, trousers, black shinobi sandals with bandages strapped around his shins and calves, covering his lower legs.

Naruto kept up with the crowd, but they were now dispersing in different directions. He was now in the centre plaza of the town. Sector A. Naruto took note of his position and looked left and right.

Naruto knew the only thing he could do right now. Gather information. Naruto went to the closest bar, entering the nearby alleyway. Naruto thought of a man in his mid-twenties with aged features, he then transformed into the older man with the use of the **Henge jutsu**. Breathing in and out, he altered his voice to match his appearance. It wouldn't do him much good to look like an adult but sound like a child.

Satisfied, he went into the bar and sat on a stool, right in the middle of a long row. It was the only one free, the rest were occupied with other men.

The bartender noticed the new customer and quickly went over. "What can I do for you mate? You want the usual or something special? Different special drinks every night, good taste, I definitely recommend them," the bartender said enthusiastically.

Naruto looked at him. He tried to act as normal as possible. "I'll just have water please," Naruto said with his most convincing voice.

The bartender tilted his head, "Water!? Are you serious mate? Come into my bar just for water, what's wrong with you?" the bartender asked.

Naruto felt a cold sweat go down his back, his cover could be blown. "Eh, you know… I have a banging headache and I had a bit too much too eat and-"

"Mate, don't sweat it! I was only pulling your leg. Haha, should have seen your face, you were like a kid in the naughty corner. I'll get your drink, just get hundred and fifty ryó ready yea?" the bartender said as he went to the tap and filled a glass to the brim with water.

Naruto handed over the money, "Thanks so much," Naruto said as he took the water and drank some of the ice-cold fluid.

"No problem… You're not from around here, are you?" the bartender asked as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto shook his head side-to-side, "No, was it that obvious?" he asked. He wondered if he need to improve his transformation.

The bartender waved him off, "Only when you spoke, your accent isn't local, so I just guessed. Where you from?" the bartender asked.

Naruto gulped, he didn't think he would get questioned like this. He just wanted to listen onto the other people. ' _Just think of anywhere Naruto!'_ he thought quickly. "Tanzaku-Gai," Naruto answered.

The bartender looked at him in a different light, "Really!? That's cool, that's in the region with all them big castles. The Himeji region. Big tourist spot in the Land of Fire… What are you doing all the way down here in Wave, if you don't mind me asking?" the bartender asked.

"Visiting my sister. I haven't seen her at all though. It's like she disappeared into thin air," Naruto lied. He knew answering with the topic of family with stop further questions.

The bartender's body language changed from cheerful to tense, "Oh… You know, something might have happened to her," he said.

Naruto leaned in, "What do you mean?" he asked with fake concern, his acting skills were convincing.

The bartender leaned into Naruto's ear, "There's this asshole who's been trying to take over our town and country for months on end and everyone's getting sick of him. He has… killed some of our townspeople, your sister might be included. I'm sorry for telling you this, but she might still be alive… Go look for a guy named Spades.

He owns a lot of property around here, including this bar. He supposedly knows everything, and he works in this big town, but I have no idea where he is. Never met the man. He's probably your best bet to find out if Gatō had a hand with your sister's disappearance," he whispered. "That's if he's even real to begin with."

"Spades?" Naruto said, he knows he heard the name before.

"Keep your voice down! You don't want any trouble with these guys. Spades could help but the guy is just as bad as Gatō if you catch my drift," the bartender whispered sharply into Naruto's ear. "Look, finish your drink and go to the brothel nearby, I hear he owns it as well, that's your best bet if you want to find your sister," the bartender told Naruto. The bartender went off to serve others and left Naruto alone.

Naruto sighed and drank his water, ' _That was close… at least I got something,'_ Naruto thought as he got up and left the bar, nodding to the helpful bartender. Naruto went outside and back into the alleyway. Undoing his transformation, he then climbed to the rooftop, so he could be alone.

"Where did I hear that name? It was only recently… Oh damn!" Naruto said as he took off his pouch and searched through it. A scroll with the symbol of Wave on it was there. Naruto quickly took it and opened it.

"There we go, Spades. Information broker in Wave. Thank you Nii-chan for writing this down. Wait... what's this?

 _He has a password in the form of riddles. His guards won't let you in if you get it wrong, really annoying but at least I haven't got one wrong yet._ Riddles? God damnit," Naruto said as he read the scroll.

"Kotero-Nii didn't put down the location on the scroll… damnit!" Naruto complained as he closed the scroll and puts it back into the pouch.

"Now I have to go that brothel," Naruto complained as he went off into the direction of red lights. Naruto quickly went through the rooftops until he saw a neon sign in the shape of a busty woman. "This has to be it ttebayo," he said as he jumped to the ground, then Naruto transformed again, back to his previous form.

As an older man, Naruto walked towards the entrance to the brothel. His heart was pounding out of his chest, he has never seen a woman naked or anything like it before. He only heard stories from his older brother about such buildings and people. Naruto had no experience with any of this.

Naruto just gulped and mentally encouraged himself to go through with this, ' _For the people of the Land of Waves,'_ Naruto thought as he stopped in front of a burly bouncer. The man was huge and thick with muscle. His bald head and rough face made a scary image.

"Three thousand ryó admission fee, sir?" the man asked with a hard voice.

"Actually, I don't want to go in, but I need your help," Naruto said as he looked at the bouncer.

The man narrowed his eyes onto Naruto. "Alright, speak up quickly or get out of my face," the bouncer said with irritation.

Naruto stood his ground, "I need to find a man named Spades, I need his help," Naruto whispered to the bouncer.

The bouncer stayed still for a couple of moments before speaking. "Pay the admission fee and I'll give you his location," the bouncer said with the cross of arms.

Naruto sighed. ' _How much money am I going to spend just to get some info,'_ he thought.

Naruto took out his wallet and opened it. The bouncer laughed quietly as he saw the frog wallet making its appearance. Naruto took out more ryó notes and handed it to the man. "There you go, now tell me where Spades is," Naruto demanded.

The bouncer smiled, "Enter the sewer system under the bridge in between Sectors A and C. Keep going until you see the first tunnel going to the left. Go down that tunnel and then go down to the tunnel that appears on the right. Keep going until you see a big spade suit on the wall. Knock on it three times and someone will let you in," the bouncer said as he went back to the door. "I would advise not to piss the boss off, he can find many ways to screw you over," he said afterwards.

Naruto noted the advice, and went off the bridge between Sectors A and C. "What the hell am I doing? This is just crazy ttebayo, this is not me… but I have to do this to improve our chances," Naruto said under his breath. His brain was telling him to go back to Tazuna's house, but his heart wanted to keep going.

Naruto strolled through the Main Town towards Sector C. It didn't take him long to find a bridge that connected the two large islands out of three. Naruto looked around his surroundings to see if there were any prying eyes around. Seeing that it was dark and there were very little people around, nobody giving him one eye, Naruto jumped over the rail and slid down the wall, using chakra on his feet to go slowly.

Naruto landed on his feet on the wet concrete, the river and sewage were mixing and splashing everywhere. Naruto's transformation undid itself, too much action has caused the transformation to break. Naruto sighed and then coughed hard. The stench was rotten, Naruto had to shut his nose tight with his fingers and cover his mouth with his palm. Trudging through, Naruto went under the bridge and saw the sewer tunnel. He didn't hesitate to venture inside.

Thankfully, there was an elevated path, obviously for the people doing maintenance in the sewer system but Naruto could see that it has been a while since any person came down there to clean it. The tunnel was dimly lit. Aged and cobwebbed covered light bulbs ran through the ceiling of the sewer, barely lighting the sewer tunnel. Naruto exhaled and went on ahead.

Naruto took his time as he went down the sewer tunnel, he didn't want to make a wrong turn. Naruto kept his eyes peeled. "First tunnel on the left huh? When will you pop up? Oh… there you are," Naruto said happily, seeing a tunnel that leads to the left. He didn't waste any time and went down it.

Naruto was getting sick of the change of scenery, everywhere he looked, it was a mixture of brown, yellow and green. After a minute of slow walking, Naruto finally saw a tunnel that went to the right. His patience has been weaned down so he now briskly walked through the new tunnel hoping to find a large spade suit.

It did not take Naruto long to find the large spade suit. The spade suit was black in colour with a thick white border. Naruto walked up to it and knocked on it three times. Naruto stood there waiting. He was going to knock again but stopped. A brick was pulled out and a pair of eyes revealed themselves, "Huh? It's just a kid. What do you want?" the voice barked out.

The deep voice rattled Naruto's eardrums. It seemed the sewer tunnel amplified the man's voice. ' _I forgot to redo my transformation. Shit! Well, I have to go through with this without it,'_ Naruto thought.

"What do you think? I'm looking for information," Naruto answered. His tone was cold. It was clear as day that the young ninja was annoyed.

The man behind the wall sighed, "Fine. Riddle me this. Three playing cards are in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of the king. A diamond will be found to the left of spade. An ace to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, tell what cards I have," the man said in an irritated tone.

' _Seems like he doesn't like this riddle thing anymore than I do,'_ Naruto thought as he pondered on the riddle.

Naruto spent some time think of the word puzzle in his head, imagining what it would look like. He snapped his fingers after a minute of waiting. "Ace of Diamonds, King of Hearts and the Two of Spades," he answered, hoping he was correct.

The man behind the wall put the brick back into the spot, leaving Naruto alone. ' _Did he just shut me out? I can't believe this ttebayo,'_ Naruto thought as he rubbed his face with his hands.

Naruto was going to turn around and leg it home but the wall in front of him revolved open, revealing a corridor dug out. "Well done kid, that was pretty quick. Now don't waste my time and get in," the man said, keeping the door open.

Naruto didn't waste the man's time and scurried in. He saw that the corridor was a dirt one, meaning that this was dug out by hand and shovel. Naruto kept going forward until there was a wooden ladder. "Only one way to go," Naruto said. He climbed up.

Naruto didn't take long to ascend to the top despite the large climb. Half way through, it changed from dirt to wood. ' _Must mean that this was dug first, down to the sewer. I wonder where I am?'_ Naruto wondered as he reached the top. As Naruto stood back up from his climb, he was in a room with one door. He didn't know any better and knocked on it and waited politely.

"Come in," a voice called out.

Naruto turned the brass door handle in front of him and quickly entered the rom. He looked up and saw many things. It was an a dark office but well-lit at the desk. There were cabinets everywhere, some brimmed with paper, containing information and others were empty, to be filled in the future. Naruto took in the environment around him in closer detail, there were no windows, he could tell the walls were thick.

Naruto stopped himself from being distracted any further and looked directly in front of him. An aged mahogany desk, the size was unreal. Eight by four feet. There were carvings on the legs depicting flowers. Naruto could see they were roses and he was astounded by the detail. ' _Must have cost a fortune!'_ he thought as he appreciated the piece of furniture.

"So what does a kid like you need me for? Or should I ask, why is Uzumaki Naruto doing in my office right now?" the same voice from before asked.

Naruto jumped on the spot. He stared at where the voice came from. He couldn't see any detail of the man. The chair he was sitting on was turned away from him. "How do you know my name?" Naruto asked after he gulped. Naruto stood into a defensive stance just to be cautious, his hand was hovering over his kunai holster. His fingers were twitching in anticipation.

A small laughter escaped the man's lips. "A little birdie told me. She said a super-cool elite ninja came and gave her and her friends food to eat. That there was this unbelievable amount of energy after they ate them. She said his name was Uzumaki Naruto," the man said, still not revealing himself.

' _The starving children,'_ Naruto thought. "Why would you assume I am a ninja?" Naruto asked, curiosity was now overriding his brain.

"Why? Well that's a stupid question kid. I've kept my eyes on you and your team ever since that old drunk came back into town. You might have realised since your brought yourself here, but there is a lot more happening around here and the world then what is shown to the eye," the man said cryptically.

Naruto sighed, it seemed that his identity has been discovered. However, he senses that there is no malice or hostility behind the man's words. "So, it's safe to assume that you are Spades… The information broker," Naruto said moving three steps forward.

Silence ran through the room. The chair swung around. A man in his forties was sitting in it. Long black hair, done in a ponytail. The man wore a grey shirt which was underneath a short-sleeve haori cardigan.

Naruto saw that the man had a clean shaven face, his eyes were a hazel brown in colour, his eyebrows were thin but resided close to his eyes. The man had a loop earring in his left ear lope. Naruto thought it made the man look sleek and cool.

The most prominent features that Naruto noticed were the tattoos on the right side of the man's neck and his right arm. Cherry blossoms were found populating his neck while an strange assortment of numbers in pure black ink were tattoed on his forearm with spade suits all around them.

"Not just an information dealer, I'm much more than that. However, I am indeed the one who is called Spades. What do you need to know? Because I know everything," Spades asked as he looked at Naruto. His eyes were soaking in every detail of Naruto.

Spades eyes moved from and to Naruto and the chair in front of his desk. Naruto received the message and sat in front of the man, "You have no security. You're not afraid that I'll do something?" he asked.

Spades laughed lightly. "You're not the only one that trained in the shinobi arts. Now don't dodge my question kid. Uzumaki Naruto, what made you go and find little old me?" Spades asked with a sweet smile.

Naruto couldn't help but gulp, the man appeared to be normal enough but he was radiating this insane presence. "I just some need information," Naruto finally said.

Spades nodded and brought his hands together, "On who? I can't read your mind… But I have a pretty good guess on who it is," Spades said.

"Gatō and his goons. Anything will help," Naruto said.

"Gatō? That son of a bitch. Making my life harder than it is. And what will I get in return?"

"I don't know? I can pay you money?"

Spades pondered on the suggestion, "Nah. I have enough money. How about a favour for a favour?"

"A favour for a favour? Like I scratch your back and you scratch mine."

"Exactly, you don't look as dumb as you look kid. Gatō has been a pain in my backside for a while now. He has been pushing into my territory and been stealing my business from other clients. Also with his subjugation of the Land of Waves, my business has been losing money and the people here can't afford my unique services… I need him to go," Spades said calmly.

Naruto received the message, it was the same conclusion he reached hours prior. "What about Tazuna and the bridge?" Naruto asked.

"That bridge would be better for me, I don't need to tell you why."

"So, what do you need me to do?" Naruto asked.

Spades smiled and got out of his large chair. "Let me get some stuff before I tell you," he said as he went over to the side of the room and turned on another light. Spades began to moves boxes and some folders filled with documents.

"Did you hear that the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers got married to a new lady," Spades said, making conversation to his new little friend. Small talk was the cornerstone to all relationships.

"No."

"Well, he's fifty-seven and she's nineteen. She is already pregnant with his child. What do you think of that?" Spades asked.

' _Nineteen!? That's the same age as Nii-chan,_ ' Naruto thought. The idea of Kotero being a soon-to-be father made him uncomfortable.

Naruto shook his head to get rid of the ideas and looked back to Spades. "I don't care… As long as they're happy, why should I care?" he said.

"Good kid. I like the way you think. There's other things happening as well in our small world. The Land of Water has calmed down just recently thankfully. I might be able to go back there. My power and dominance has waned in recent times. If that blasted civil war is all over throughout the country, I can get out of this shithole of a town.

On other news, The Daimyō of your country has fallen ill unfortunately. An all of a sudden decrease in health. My sources are telling me that he could be poisoned. His son will take up the position soon enough if he doesn't recover. It seems you can't trust family.

Ah, there's this group who have been doing more and more jobs around the whole Mainland. A mercenary group filled with missing ninja. Real dangerous folk there. I would avoid black cloaks with red clouds kid, nothing good can come from them. At least they do their jobs with an hundred percent success rate.

What else? What else? Oh, this might interest you. A new hidden village has been formed in the Land of Rice. Yeah, the Daimyō there let it form some time ago but I have no clarification on who rules it. Real secret stuff, what else do you expect from ninja though.

And finally, the cherry on top. The infamous 'Legendary sucker' has escaped her money collectors yet again. That has been going on for years yet I keep getting news on it. Makes me laugh."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Naruto asked.

Spades shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not an idiot. And I have a good memory. Kotero was here about two months ago. You two are definitely related, aren't you? Brothers?" Spades asked as he took a box from the corner of the room and brought it to his desk.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, that's how I found out about you-"

"Snooping through his stuff. That isn't what I expect from a little brother," Spades said, interrupting Naruto.

"He'll understand if I did it for my own safety," Naruto said.

"Whatever you say kid," Spades said as he took off the lid of the box. He then took out maps, schematics and documents from the box and laid them on the table. Spades put both his hands into the box and took out a metal contraption. Placing it on the table, he took then took out two metal cylinders. They seemed to be full.

"What's that?" Naruto asked, he didn't know what was in front of him.

Spades looked at the metal contraption and then to Naruto, "Oh this old thing… it's a bomb!"

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	11. Chapter 11 - Regret

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 11 - Regret**

Naruto was looking at the contraption with wide eyes. "Did you just say a bomb?"

Spades nodded with a smile. "Yeah! You know how it works, right? You set it and it goes kaboom!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes on Spades. _'He thinks I'm an idiot,'_ he thought _._ "And what do you want to do with it?" he asked afterwards.

Spades patted the bomb with his hand. "Not me. You."

"Me?"

Spades nodded. "Yes. I want you to go to Gatō's base. Set it in his office for me," Spades said.

Naruto was taken aback. "How do you expect me to do that? I don't even know where that is," Naruto told him.

Spades chuckled. He then took out papers from the box and laid them on the table. "These are maps and blueprints of Gatō's base north of Main Town. A good ninja will be able to go in and out rather easily. I don't know about you but you're the only ninja in this room."

"You seem and talk like a ninja? Why don't you do it? And, who are you?" Naruto asked. This man was a mystery.

Spades raised his eyebrow. "It's better if you don't know. Why don't I do it? Because you can do it, and my knee is fucked up right now," Spades answered.

That didn't answer all of Naruto's questions, but he knew that he wouldn't get much personal information. "Tell me what to do," Naruto said.

Spades smiled. "I want you to go to Gatō's base of operations and set this bomb in his office. This base is used for many things, of course for Gatō's desires.

First and foremost, this base is also one of two locations that Gatō makes this drugs for the black-market. Destroying this base will damage his supplies, reputation and profits. This is what I want."

"How am I supposed to get inside? This all seems sketchy ttebayo. I don't want to die."

"I know kid. Let me finish first then you can talk. You certainly need to be taught some manners. Anyhow, I know you want the easiest way in, but it might not be the nicest way."

Naruto raised his eyebrow at Spades. "Not the nicest way how?" he asked.

Spades smiled wickedly. "Despite Gatō being one of the richest men in the Mainland. He's cheap. Hates spending money for things apart from gourmet food and materialistic goods. This base, although huge and unique, has one big problem which we will take advantage of. The sewer system."

"I don't like the sound of this."

"I don't care. Gatō's base is huge. Bigger than Sector B in this town. It's a base and a factory plant. Since Gatō hates to spend, all the waste, chemical and domestic, flows through one large pipe. This pipe goes further up north and into the sea. According to the fishermen, the pollution levels have increased since Gatō has come here. And I want you-"

"To go through it and infiltrate the base," Naruto finished. Naruto sighed. He then rubbed his forehead. _'Seems like this has gone to shit,_ ' he thought.

Spades nodded, a small smile formed on his lips. "Exactly. Because of the disgusting nature of it, there are no guards posted at the sewer pipe outlet. The pipe will go on for just over one mile.

There you can enter the base. I don't know the interior of the base, so you will have to wing it. The only location I know is that Gatō's office is on the second top floor, in the centre of the base. A power generator will be adjacent to the office. With the bomb set, when it explodes, it will take the generator with it and add more damage. Gatō hopefully will die with it."

"Why can't I go from the outside in? Why do I have to go through the sewer pipe?" Naruto asked.

"Let me answer your question with another question. Don't you think Gatō won't have lots of guards securing the perimeter of his base? Keeping watch all around on top of the roof? There will be too many and you will get spotted. Also, there are only two entrances into the base. The front door and a large gate at the back to load up boats and caravans.

There is a good chance that Gatō has his windows, the few that are there, linked to an alarm system. There are thirty-two security cameras that are operating outside and an unknown amount in the inside. There are less however. Going through the sewer will let you bypass all these obstacles. Once you're inside, it will be easier to get out and escape if needs be. You understand?" Spades asked at the end.

Naruto nodded. "What do we know about the base itself?"

"From bribes and some other methods, we found out a bit from his crew. The base takes the shape of an upside-down octagonal pyramid. I don't understand the design really but Gatō is rich, so he probably didn't care. The base is located twenty kilometres north of Main Town. In the densest part of the forest, you can find it.

However, it is camouflaged to look like part of the forest. Guards are stationed all around in obscure places that have good viewpoints all around the base. This will be tricky, but a trained ninja should excel in this environment under such conditions."

Naruto tapped his foot. His mind wandered on a meander, wondering if this was a good idea. He once again looked critically at the blueprints. A smile appears on his face. "Alright let's do this."

* * *

 **Deep Forest**

Deep within the forest north of Main Town. Naruto is dashing along the coast. Night covered everything. The moon provided some light. There was a dense fog, a natural and regular occurance for the island nation. The smell of the sea flared Naruto's nostrils. He could taste the salt in the air.

He traversed further and further. Naruto was beginning his mind started to play games on him.

"Oh, there it is!" Naruto said happily. He saw a large outlet of a pipe. Dark sludge can be seen leaving the pipe and entering the sea. The smell was horrific. Naruto coughed and nearly gagged from the intense aroma. He covered his mouth with his forearm, stopping anymore suffering.

Naruto stalked over to the entrance of the pipe. His information from Spades, the information broker was correct, there was no security here whatsoever. Naruto looked inside the pipe with a flash light and saw that most of the pipe's inner surface was cemented with waste. Only the top of the pipe was somewhat clean. It was truly disgusting.

Naruto breathed in a lot of air, his chest expanded greatly. He then released the built-up air and jumped to the ceiling of the pipe. Using chakra on his feet, his feet stuck to it. Without wasting time, he delved in.

Naruto quickly went through the pipe. After thirty seconds, he couldn't bear to be in this situation any longer than he had to. Naruto flashed his light all around as he went along. He could see build-up of sludge. It turned to a tar black. It most likely had the same viscosity as tar as well.

Naruto continued to look around. He stopped suddenly when he saw a pale white. A deathly white. Naruto gasped air from his shock. He then gagged from the intense smell. Steadying himself, he looked at the white again. There were multiple body parts, all chopped up.

Only the limbs were recognisable. Naruto's disgust for Gatō increased. He shook his head and went on ahead, nothing good can come from waiting down in a dump.

As time went on, it seemed that this sewer went on infinitely. Than a source of light can be seen faraway. Naruto felt a surge of energy flow through his veins. He quickly cut down the distance between him and the light.

Naruto looked at what the light revealed. It was a manhole cover. Positioning himself on the ladder that was nearby, he slowly lifted the lid off. It was black beyond. Naruto climbed up and entered the room. He put the manhole cover back on.

Looking around, he knew where he was. The sound of machines and the barely lit room with many pipes showed that this was the maintenance room for the base. Naruto is on the bottom floor and needs to get to the fourth to plant the bomb. This seems like it won't be too difficult, but Naruto had no idea what the layout of the base.

Naruto could sense that he was the only one in the room. Seeing a door, he moved and rested his body on the wall. Making the door open slightly, just enough to peek out. The corridors were not brightly lit. There were a few dark spots to hide.

 _'Remember there is a duct system. That's my best chance of going through here with no hassle,_ ' Naruto thought.

Naruto waited to see if any person passed by, yet there was extraordinarily little action. He was suspicious of this, but he ignored it. Naruto thought it was because this floor would be the least important room.

Opening the door and then closing it. Naruto moved to the darkness in the corridor. Reaching a turn to a new corridor, Naruto could see a security camera, moving side to side. He bit his lower lip in annoyance. The camera was placed so it would see everything in one sweep, someone couldn't get past it easily.

Naruto needed a plan to get through this. An idea came quickly and with joy, Naruto went back to the maintenance room to put it in action.

A minute later, a cardboard box moves slowly through the corridor. The camera moves. The cardboard box stops in place. The camera goes back. The cardboard moves once again. Footsteps could be barely heard from the cardboard box.

The cardboard box got past the security camera with ease. After it was out of range, the cardboard was lifted. It revealed to be Naruto, using a cardboard box as a disguise. _'What ingenuity I have,'_ Naruto thought with a smile. He then folds the cardboard box and leaves it against the wall.

There was a vent duct nearby. Using his kunai, Naruto pried the vent door open. The vent was square in shape and a child could fit in it easily. This was a moment that Naruto was glad that he was short.

Naruto entered the duct and placed the vent door back on. Satisfied, he went into the ventilation network. He needed to find Gatō's office as soon as possible. The base has five main levels. Naruto was at the bottom. He needed to climb three floors to be on the same floor as Gatō. Naruto wondered why the office isn't on the top floor. Spades explained that it was to add more security and not risk an assassination from above.

Naruto crawled through the vents until it stopped going forward and started going straight up. The space was too cramped to use his feet effectively. Flowing chakra to his fingertips, Naruto used his fingers to climb up. The leaf-sticking exercise that he practiced for years has now come in handy. The fingertips have an unbelievable grip on the metal that had edge to hold.

The climb up stopped. Naruto then moved to the next vent tunnel. He crawled as silently as possible. Naruto had tried to suppress his chakra. He was afraid that another ninja on the level of Zabuza was in the base. If he was caught by such a ninja, he wouldn't last enough for a full-on battle. He would be killed.

There was a grate on the bottom surface of the vent. Naruto looked through it. He could see a large space that was occupied by many men. The ages ranged from young to old. Naruto could see powdered substances, large plants and lots of pieces of equipment. There was an oven, a Bunsen burner connected to a gas valve and many glassware for measuring substances.

Naruto understood what Spades has told him. This must be where they produce Gatō's drugs for his black-market side of business. He couldn't identify any of the drugs that were being created as he had no experience in seeing them.

There was a plant he recognised though. A large weed-like plant said to relax your body and can help you sleep. The plant can also cause mild hallucinations or affect your senses, so you don't interpret your surroundings correctly. Kotero has said that smoking the leaves and bud cause these effects but they aren't dangerous to the body compared to other drugs. "A recreational drug," is what Kotero said in the past.

Naruto had no idea on the values of the drugs created just below him. However, he knew that in some locations, a small amount can cost a fortune. There were white blocks that were covered in a plastic film and taped over. They were filling a wooden crate with it. If Naruto had to put a guess on the total value, it would much more than the payment of three S-rank missions. And it was only one crate.

Naruto shook his head. He couldn't waste precious time. A mission of infiltration should not be rushed. One mistake and your cover is blown. The village then is showered with insults and glares. However, Naruto needed to get to Tazuna's house before they leave for the bridge.

Naruto continued the path of the vent tunnel. He climbed once again to the third floor and then finally to the fourth floor. Naruto could see through the various grates that the building had very few people and activities. The more time went on, the more concerned he became.

The vent ended, however he knew he wasn't above Gatō's office. He went back to see if there was a different path yet there was none. He didn't know what to do. Going to the end of the vent, he opened the vent door to see what was outside.

There was a man standing in front of a double door. The wood for the doors looked awfully expensive. The wood was a rich brown, it was mahogany wood. That wood grew terribly slow in the jungle. This wood could be found all around the world, there has been a huge boost in the furniture trade and mahogany wood is the bestselling material.

The Land of Lightning has the biggest jungle in the Mainland. In one of the many mountain ranges, it is covered in dense jungle and has life thriving in it. The mountain range with the jungle is inhabitable for humans, so it is left undisturbed for the most part. Hunting and deforestation still occurs, the jungle is so large and thick that it barely affect the ecosystem there.

With this knowledge, Naruto knew that these doors were awfully expensive. He knew that this was Gatō's office. It helped that the door had intricate carvings, displaying flowers on it.

The man was a huge figure. His arms were the size of Naruto. Naruto thought one punch from this guy could break down a wall. A man with untrained chakra to use such strength is scary indeed. He also had a large belly, but Naruto knew the man was strong.

Naruto took out his ninja wire. He cut it, so a considerable length was between one hand to the other. He then stepped out of the vent and jumped out. Using chakra to silence his landing. He kept to the wall, so the man could not see him.

Naruto watched the man like a hawk watches its prey. The man breathed in and then exhaled loudly. Naruto jumped on the man's shoulders and wraps his ninja wire around his throat. Pulling the ends with his hands, the wire tightened around the man's throat. The man was shocked. His surprise was his downfall as he tried to pull off the wire.

The man must have realised that Naruto was on him. He threw punches and hammer fists towards Naruto, but Naruto carolled the angry bull of a man. The man was getting weaker. His face paled and he collapsed. Naruto jumped off him and stopped his body from crashing to the ground.

Naruto laid the body of the large man against the wall beside Gatō's office. Naruto looked and saw he was breathing in his sleeping state. A clear line can be seen around the man's throat and neck. It dug deep into his skin and muscle. Naruto didn't kill him. He simply put him to sleep.

Naruto went over to the door and turned the handle. There was resistance and the handle wouldn't budge. _'I expected something like this,'_ Naruto thought. Taking out a bobby pin and a senbon needle, Naruto slipped in both into the lock. He used the needle to help the bobby pin to push the lock pins up. A skill that has so many uses. Most locks like these are common in the world.

Naruto spends a good minute on his lockpicking. He went with the flow and moved his tools to unlock the lock. Any lock can be unlocked.

 **CLICK!**

Naruto pushed the bobby pin up and it seemed that the lock is now open. A smile grew, and he put his tools away. Naruto turned the handle with ease and entered the office. The office was empty of humans but filled with expensive goods. The furniture looked like they belonged to a royal family. There were treasures such as gold and silver jewellery. A samurai suit was in the corner. The desk was like the door. Mahogany and it had beautiful carvings.

Naruto went to the desk. Unsealing the bomb that Spades gave him, he placed it on the desk. He installed the two cylinders which were filled with a deadly material. These two cylinders had the power to destroy the base. Spades said that he would remotely detonate the bomb once he knows Gatō is in the building. Naruto didn't know how he will be able to do that, but he didn't care. All he had to do was place the bomb. Spades will kill Gatō and his business, not him.

Naruto was about to leave until he saw a manuscript of the payment of a cargo ship. It was recently bought and moved to the Land of Waves just two days ago. Naruto's sixth sense of danger rose.

Naruto caught a greenish light from the corner of his eye. He focused on the source and sees a gap in the wall. He narrowed his eyes and walked over. It seemed that the wall was coming out.

"Oh, it's a hidden room," Naruto said as he pulled on the edge of the wall. The room was small but had one desk and chair. There were forty Tv screens, eight by five. The monitors were small, but it showed the inside and outside of the base. It was the recording security footage. Naruto looked at all the screens. His fist clenches. "There's nobody here," he gritted out in annoyance.

If the gang isn't here, then they must be doing something to harm the people of Wave. Naruto pressed the fast-backwards button with the mouse. All the screens play the recorded footage. Naruto could see on monitor thirty-three his cardboard box being in use. The camera fully picked up on it, it showed that there was an intruder, but no alarm was announced.

"Idiots," Naruto said under his breath.

The security goes back for a while until many people are seen re-entering the building. Naruto looked at the time of their departures and it was the same time that he entered the sewer pipe. As the footage kept going backwards, Gatō's gang were all listening to the boss himself. They all laughed at one point. Their evil intent can be seen through the screen.

 _'Something bad is going to happen ttebayo,_ ' Naruto thought. This is bad. With the amount of people with weapons, Naruto knew they were going for an attack. But where?

"The bridge!" Naruto said with some rage. His whole infiltration has been ruined because of this. Instead of helping his team and the Land of Waves. He's now hurting it. Naruto felt his tiredness rise through the infiltration. He leaves the room and looks out of the one large window. The sun was already rising. It's past dawn.

"There must be over a hundred people going with Gatō. There's no way we could take all of them with Zabuza and Haku fighting with them as well. Our team will get killed. I have to run back to warn them!" Naruto said with worry flowing through his veins. He hasn't even started moving yet and his heart was beating madly.

He then ran and jumped out of the office window. It broke, and shards of glass flew in all directions. He didn't care if they sounded the alarm. Naruto needed to get back and warn his team.

Naruto ran and ran until something clicked in his head. "Tazuna-ossan is out of the house. Inari and Tsunami is in danger... Shit, I have to go check up on them. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are on the bridge, I don't need to worry about them," he said, changing directions. His destination was now Tazuna's home.

With his speed to the max, Naruto ran from branch to branch, leaping through the dense forest. It didn't take him long to reach the Main Town he was getting so familiar with. He just hope nobody would catch a whiff of his shit-covered body. The worst part was that Naruto was used to the rancid smell now.

Not taking in the scenery around him, Naruto eventually reached Tazuna's house. He should feel some solace in reaching his destination in a quick manner, however his heart dropped when he saw the limp body of Tsunami with Inari running blindly to the two men holding her. The child was screaming loudly, Naruto wondered if he wanted to defeat the enemies by making them deaf.

As he watched from the distance, getting closer and closer, Naruto paled a deathly white once he saw the bulky tattooed man pull out his katanna. He was ready to strike Inari.

Naruto gritted his teeth, his eyes focused on his two targets. "I have to do something now!" he declared. As soon as those words left his mouth, the two thugs' future were now in Naruto's hand.

"A log? Where the fuck did that come from?" Waraji said. He was confused. He eyes were glued to the three chunks of wood.

Zōri examined it. "A replacement?" he said. "There's a ninja around here!?"

"Sorry for being late," Naruto said coming from behind the two.

They turned around to see a short boy with blond hair, mostly wearing orange and black. He had large streaks of brown and green all over his torso. His smell was rancid.

"But heroes are supposed to come late," Naruto said with a cheeky smile. He put down the unconscious body of Tsunami and pulling Inari off his shoulder.

"Naruto!" Inari shouted out happily.

Naruto stood up and ruffled Inari's hair. "Good work Inari, your distraction helped me out. I was able to save your Kaa-chan ttebayo," Naruto said with glee.

"How did you find out that the bad guys were here?" Inari asked.

Naruto's face soured a bit. "I didn't. I just had a gut feeling," he told Inari.

"You're just the incompetent ninja that Tazuna hired," Waraji said.

"Let's kill him," Zōri said grabbing the hilt of his sword.

Waraji grinned like a madman and ran towards Naruto, Zōri followed suit.

"Inari," Naruto said grimly.

Inari looked up to see a serious face on Naruto. "Cover Tsunami-san and don't watch me. These guys need to be punished for what they did to your country and Kaa-san," Naruto said. He stood up and grabbed one kunai from his holster. Inari followed the orders and hugged the sleeping body of Tsunami.

Naruto breathed deeply, trying to remain calm. _'They want to kill me and Inari. And use… Tsunami-san. I can't let this happen!'_ Naruto thought. His eyes grew cold and become deadly serious. He moved towards the two approaching enemies.

Both Waraji and Zōri swung their blades at the same time once Naruto came into range. The only thing they cut was air.

Naruto crouched low to the ground, completely avoiding the horizontal slashes. He quickly got up, grabbed the wrist and forearm of Zōri. He twisted it hard with haste, making the him scream in pain. The arm was now broken.

Naruto gripped his kunai and with the blade in hand, he stabbed the man in the kidney after pushing his disabled arm away. Zōri's defence was now completely open.

Zōri's face raced through expressions. He howled in dire pain. The screams were horrible to listen to for the innocent ears of Inari. Naruto quickly pulled out the kunai and blood sprayed onto his clothes.

Sensing danger, he ducked from the incoming slash that came from behind and hit the ankle of Waraji, making him lose balance.

This is all Naruto needed. He faced Waraji's body and stabbed the man in the heart and quickly pulled the kunai out. Blood sprayed out, a shower of red covered Naruto.

Both bodies dropped onto the wooden dock and blood seeped out of their dying bodies. Naruto breathed but with trembling fingers and hands. His first kills.

He turned around and saw Inari hugging his mother. This knocked Naruto out of his stupor and he quickly ran over to the pair. "Is everything alright here Inari?" Naruto asked.

Inari looked at Naruto with terrified eyes. "Nii-san. Kaa-chan won't wake up!" Inari said. He was thinking of the worst possibility.

Naruto smiled, seeing that Tsunami had no damage apart from one small bruise forming on the neck. He put his index finger and middle finger at the side of the head of Tsunami. A trick he learnt from Kotero, he flowed exceedingly small amounts of chakra into the brain.

After five seconds, Tsunami's body spasmed and her eyes fluttered open. After a few blinks, she turned her head to see her son. Not even a second later, she wrapped him in a tight embrace.

Naruto smiled at the scene, glad that he made it in time. Tsunami noticed a bloody Naruto, she gasped when she saw the bodies close by. "Naruto-kun," she said. Her tears were forming tears.

"Don't worry. I couldn't let those men do what they wanted. They would have killed Inari, and then… Better they die than you," he said in a grim voice.

All she could do was nod and hug Inari tighter. "Naruto-niisan, it's like you're a ninja," he exclaimed.

Naruto sighed. "Idiot! I am a ninja. Now… I'm sorry Inari."

"Huh?" Inari responded with.

Naruto crossed his arms and tapped his finger on the opposite arm. "I called you a cry-baby yesterday. Today," Naruto said then ruffling Inari's hair, "you proved me wrong by trying to save Tsunami-chan. You're strong."

Inari eyes became watery and tears flowed down his cheeks. "Damn it! You're going to make fun for me about crying," he said with disappointment.

Naruto looked out to the sea. "What're you talking about. It's okay to cry when you're happy," Naruto said with a huge smile.

Naruto then walked off away from the mother and son. "I can leave this place to you Inari. Keep Tsunami-san safe. I need to get back to my team. I'm worried about them ttebayo," Naruto said.

"Heroes are always busy, super busy," he then shouted out, running in the distance to the bridge.

* * *

 **Bridge Construction Site**

 _'Remember the training. Mold up chakra immediately,'_ Sasuke thought as the needles flew towards his body.

The ice needles that were still in the air rocketed to Sasuke's position. Haku jumped back as the high speed needles hit the ground and Sasuke. A dust cloud appeared where they landed. Haku looked back and saw the lack of a body, some water splashed where Sasuke once was. "He disappeared," Haku said quietly.

Sasuke was high in the air looking down on the masked ninja. He then his threw shuriken.

Haku had to dodge three times from three consecutive shurikens. Haku stood up, not knowing the position of Sasuke.

"You're pretty slow," Sasuke said as he flashed behind her using chakra enhanced speed. "Now, you can only receive and block my attacks."

Both ninja twirled and Haku blocked an incoming kick from Sasuke using her forearm. Sasuke grinned and threw a kunai that was in his hand, hidden behind his back at Haku's face.

Haku ducked but was met with a perfectly timed kick from Sasuke's left leg. Haku was sent back towards Zabuza, skidding across the ground. Water soaked the back of Haku's thick and baggy outfit.

"Haku… Lost in speed?" Zabuza said out loud. Surprise was evident in his voice.

"Looks like my speed is better," Sasuke said. Pride was emanating from his voice.

Kakashi looked at the shocked Zabuza. "You can't make fun of our team just because we have youngsters. Sasuke is the village's top rookie. Sakura is the village's shrewdest child. And Naruto, is the number one ninja at surprising people," Kakashi stated.

Zabuza just chuckled. "Haku, do you understand that you're going to get defeated like this?" Zabuza said grimly.

"Yes…" Haku said. Dark blue chakra was radiating out of her body.

Sasuke looked at Haku with a confused expression, "What the? That's cold air," Sasuke said with shock.

"It's a shame," Haku said without emotion and forming a unique Tiger hand seal. Ice formed behind Sasuke and it became a long and thin beam. Quickly, it transformed into a clean, clear panel of ice. Sasuke was so shocked from the turn of events that his feet were frozen in place.

"Secret technique: Demonic Ice mirrors," Haku said. More and more panels of ice were formed, until Sasuke was surrounded by the panels that were in a dome shape, leaving noticeably short gaps in between.

"What is that jutsu?" Kakashi asked but received no answer.

The panels glowed a white light and Haku walked to the one closest. Haku then stepped into the ice panel and merged into it. Shocking all the Konoha ninja and Tazuna. An image of Haku formed in all of them.

"These are… mirrors," Sasuke said. All the ice mirrors in front of his eyes had an image of Haku on them. "What is he going to do?"

"Shit!" Kakashi said under his breath as he began to run to Sasuke. Zabuza flashed in front of him with his arms spread to the sides slightly.

"I'm your opponent, remember?" Zabuza said. "He's a goner now that Haku used that jutsu."

Haku looked intently at Sasuke. "Let's begin. I'll show you my true speed," Haku said. A senbon needle flew out of her grip. It cut Sasuke's top's arm. Another needle flew and hit the other arm.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted in worry. Sasuke was getting cuts left and right from the tens of needles that were aiming towards him. The needles hit his hands, making his hands open in pain, his kunai escaped his grip and more needles hit the kunai away.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted out in fear. Sasuke's disarmed kunai flew into the air and landed in front of Sakura, scaring her.

More and more needles were cutting Sasuke and his clothes. His gurgled screams could be heard all around the outside of the dome. All he could do was cover his face and head. Sakura and Tazuna's eyes were shaking.

"If you move without thinking, I'll kill the two behind you," Zabuza said with power to Kakashi.

"Tazuna-san, I'm sorry. I'm going to move from here for a minute," Sakura said. Hidden fear is in her voice.

Tazuna just looked at the girl. "Sure, go."

Sakura took the kunai that was driven in the ground and started to run in the direction of where Sasuke was.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, looking slightly behind.

Sakura ran and then jumped up into the air. "Sasuke-kun! Take this!" she shouted, throwing the kunai into the dome. Sasuke looked back where the source of the voice came, seeing the kunai fly towards his position.

The kunai stopped in its tracks. Haku nipped it in its flight. Sasuke collapsed after while Haku twirled the kunai outside of the mirror. "He caught it!" Sakura said shocked, she couldn't believe her eyes.

A shuriken flew into the dome and curved hard. Its trajectory hit Haku's mask. Haku was pulled from the mirror after the surprise attack.

"What the? Who did that?" Sakura asked out loud.

Footsteps could be heard coming from their direction. All the ninja looked from where the footsteps were coming from. _'That idiot. What a show-off,'_ Sasuke thought with a smirk.

"The number one ninja in surprising people," Haku said getting up from the ground. There was a large cut in the mask.

The person came to their vicinity. Blood covered most of his clothes and some spray marks were still on his face.

"Uzumaki Naruto is here!" Naruto said as he stopped at a distance away. If his grin suggested anything, it was that he was confident that he and his comrades will come out victors in this battle.

Zabuza turned his head back. "Hm, the blond brat returns," he said in a bored tone.

Naruto looked what's in front of him and started the seal sequence of Tiger-Ox but then was interrupted by shuriken thrown by Zabuza.

"Oh, no!" Kakashi shouted as the shuriken flew towards Naruto.

Naruto stopped the jutsu formation and took out a kunai from his holster, ready to deflect the incoming danger. However, the flying shuriken's flight were interrupted by senbon needles thrown by Haku.

"What!" Zabuza yelled out.

"He was saved?" Sakura said in a confused manner.

Naruto grinned again, confusing everyone. Then he puffed into smoke.

 _'A shadow clone?'_ Kakashi thought. _'He's now hidden again. Good work Naruto.'_

"Haku, what's the meaning of this?" Zabuza asked his partner.

"Zabuza-san, leave him to me," Haku said with a voice devoid of emotion. "Please let me do this fight my way."

Zabuza just hummed. "So, you don't want me to interfere, Haku. As usual, you're too easy on the enemy."

Haku's head was down. "I'm sorry."

 _'This is bad. I need to help Naruto and Sasuke,'_ Kakashi thought moving one foot forward.

Zabuza saw this and blocked Kakashi's path. "Hey, don't think of doing anything weird now. If you move, you know what's going to happen to that geezer, right?" Zabuza said tilting his head.

It was a horrifying image. Zabuza was hoping to scare the man to death. It would make his life so much easier. He was truly dealing out all his cards.

"Let's observe how the kiddies will fight, shall we?" Zabuza said keeping his hands to his sides.

"So, you really are one of Zabuza's men. Haku," Naruto said in the mist, his position unknown to the group.

"I'm sorry. But like your sensei said this. The duty of a ninja is to deceive and to find an unguarded spot. Please don't take it personally Naruto-kun," Haku said.

 _'You don't have time to chit-chat like that!'_ Sasuke thought as he threw a kunai at the side of Haku's head. She dodged the kunai by leaning back. This shocked Sasuke.

"I didn't forget about you. I would have liked for you to just lie there quietly, but I guess I can't expect that. I guess I have to finish the fight with you first," Haku said, moving back into the mirror.

Sasuke saw the image of Haku in front of him. Sasuke quickly looked around, seeing that there were no other images. He smirked as his hand was closing in on his holster.

"Over here," the voice of Haku was heard from behind Sasuke. Sasuke gasped and looked behind, with shocked eyes.

"He moved. But how?'" he whispered under his breath.

The rest of the mirrors were now filling with the image of Haku, holding senbon needles in between the fingers. All at once, the Haku multiples threw their senbon needles. Sasuke was caught in a storm and couldn't do anything. He grunted in pain. He crossed his arms and moved his head to his chest. The needle storm ended and Sasuke fell to the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted in worry.

"Sasuke. I'm here to help!" Naruto said with enthusiasm as he crouched beside Sasuke. "You okay, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke was shocked to the core. "You idiot! If you're a ninja, be more careful!"

Naruto growled and bared his teeth. "What the hell was I supposed to do? Schedule an appointment with you. I came in to save your ass ttebayo," Naruto retorted back.

Sasuke raised his fist. "If you came into the mirrors as well. Damn it! Forget about it Naruto," Sasuke spat out.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "How was I supposed to break the mirrors you mean. Did nobody see me try to break that mirror over there? I can't break it with my fists, weapons or my seal tags. So, I thought I'd come in here to help," Naruto said.

Sasuke stood up, "I'll just have to destroy the mirrors then!"

Sasuke flowed through his hand seals.

"Oi, what're you doing Sasuke?" Naruto asked still crouched.

"These mirrors are made from ice. Then!" Sasuke shouted out. Sasuke used his fire jutsu as a flamethrower aimed at the mirrors. Hot flames blew around the dome. Sasuke stopped his jutsu and noticed that the mirrors were barely melted.

"Sasuke, I used my fire seal tags and they didn't work. If you listened to me, you wouldn't have wasted chakra!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke.

"These mirrors won't melt with that kind of firepower," Haku said, making Sasuke grit his teeth.

Sasuke grinded his teeth in annoyance. The mirrors lit up a bright white light and Sasuke and Naruto were thrown from where they were standing.

"Damn it! Where is Haku attacking from? Are they clones? Where is the real one?" Naruto wondered looking at each individual mirror.

"There's no point in trying to follow me with your eyes. I will never be caught," Haku said, still in the mirrors. Naruto and Sasuke both gritted their teeth at their predicament.

"Haku. What is this jutsu?" Naruto asked with serious eyes and face.

"This is a travelling jutsu that utilizes mirror reflections that only reflect me. From my speed, you two look like you're standing still," Haku explained vaguely.

Kakashi went wide-eyed. "I knew it! This is a Bloodline Limit technique!" he said loudly. Zabuza laughed at the realisation.

Sakura looked at her Sensei. "Bloodline Limit?" she asked.

Kakashi stared down at the ice dome. "It's the same kind of thing with my sharingan. They are abilities and techniques that are only passed down through deep blood relations," Kakashi explained.

Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on the ground, looking like they're in bad shape. "Damn it! So, what!?" Naruto says, getting the attention of everyone. "I can't die here. I have too much to live for!" Naruto said with determination.

Kakashi's lone eye widened dramatically.

Haku was also taken back from the comment. "It is difficult for me to be a real ninja. If it's possible, I do not want to kill you and I don't want to make you kill me.

However, if you are going to fight me, I will kill my compassion with a blade and become a ninja. This bridge… is a battleground that leads to the dreams of many people. I will for my dream. And you will fight for your dream.

Please don't hold any grudges. I want to protect an important person. I want to work for him, fight for him, and make his dreams come true. That is my dream. To make it come true. I will become a ninja and… I will kill you," Haku declared bringing a senbon needle up.

Sakura brought her hands to her mouth, positioning it if she was trying to amplify her voice. "Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Don't lose to a guy like that!" she cheered out.

"Sakura!" Kakashi bit out. Sakura flinched and looked at Kakashi. "Don't say that. Don't goad them. Even if there is a one-in-a-million-chance to overcome that technique, they can't defeat that boy," Kakashi told her.

"What? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, completely confused on what he meant.

Zabuza chuckled hard, "They still don't have the mental strength to suppress their emotions and kill someone. That boy knows a ninja's agony quite well. He is different from Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi said.

Zabuza stopped his chuckling, "That's correct. A real ninja is not trained in a peaceful village like yours. You can't experience the most important thing to a ninja, the experience of killing," Zabuza added.

Sakura's knees were shaking, "Then what are we going to do Sensei?" she asked out loud.

"Sorry, but I'm going have to finish this quickly," Kakashi said to Zabuza.

"The Sharingan!?" Sakura said quietly to herself.

Zabuza chuckled again, "The Sharingan eh? How unoriginal," Zabuza said as he gripped onto something under his shirt and ran to Kakashi.

He took out a kunai and went for Kakashi's left eye. The kunai was stopped by Kakashi's right hand which blocked the path of the blade.

"Even if you say that it is unoriginal, are you still afraid of my Sharingan, Zabuza?" Kakashi jabbed at Zabuza.

Zabuza chuckled. "You're not supposed to show your trump card more than once to the same ninja."

"Be thankful, you're the only one who gets to see this eye more than once. And… there won't be a third time," Kakashi said coldly.

Zabuza chuckled again, "Even if you beat me, you can't beat Haku," he said, never taking his eyes off Kakashi.

"I've taught him fighting techniques since Haku was small. I taught Haku everything I knew. As a result, Haku was able to produce results in any difficult situation imaginable. Haku threw away the belief in a heart and a life. Haku is a fighting machine labelled as a ninja. On top of that, that jutsu surpasses mine. Haku has that dreadful ability, that bloodline limit. I got myself an advanced tool. Haku is different from the scraps you carry!" Zabuza said, he pulled out his kunai from Kakashi's hand.

From the outside, the wind escaped through the small gaps and blew in all directions. Sakura and Tazuna covered their faces from the incoming wind. Zabuza and Kakashi felt the force of the wind blast but didn't need to move. "Hm, seems like your blond scrap has some talent," Zabuza said with amusement.

Haku was moving from mirror to mirror, stabilizing them individually from being pushed back from the intense wind blast.

Zabuza chuckled. "Even if scraps attack in numbers, they can't beat Haku. The best tool that is out there!" he said, having one eye on the action.

"There's nothing more boring than hearing someone brag. Let's begin," Kakashi said, revealing his Sharingan.

"Wait up. Let me brag to you about one more thing," Zabuza said, "I didn't simply get defeated by you in our last battle. I made Haku observe the battle as he hid. Haku is smart as well. With his analyzation skill, he can create a counter for any move he sees just once. I've been eager to copy what you said. "Let me just tell you that the same technique won't work against me twice", was it? Ninja art: Hidden in the mist," Zabuza said as he disappeared into the mist and the mist got thicker.

"Sensei," Sakura said quietly.

Kakashi looked at Sakura. "Sakura! Stay with Tazuna-san!" he ordered.

Sakura obliged to the order given and nodded her head. _'I need to believe in Sasuke-kun, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei and do what I need to do,'_ she thought as she ran back to Tazuna.

"Oh Sakura," Tazuna said as she approached and positioned herself in front of him.

"Tazuna-san, don't get too far from me," she said with a kunai in hand.

"Yeah, I know!" he told her.

Back in the dome of ice, Naruto and Sasuke were getting frustrated on the lack of progress. _'Hm, my most powerful jutsu won't work… I need to go with more numbers,'_ Naruto thought as he made a cross hand seal and produced many shadow clones, all jumping into the air and making their way to a mirror.

"What is he trying to do?" Haku wondered, leaving the mirror and began the process of eliminating the clones.

As Haku got close to the first Naruto, a fireball came from a blind spot. _'What? A fireball?'_ Haku thought. Haku dodged and jumped into a different mirror. Jumping back out and destroying the Naruto clone.

 _'This is taking too much time!'_ Haku thought as she went through the process of killing all the Naruto clones. As the last Naruto clone was about to be destroyed, Sasuke launched the rest of his stored fireball towards it. Haku couldn't completely dodge it and some of Haku's outfit was burnt, the lower pant leg.

 _'Good, although it's gradual, I'm getting the timing down,'_ Sasuke thought with a grin.

 _'Even if he concealed himself in the mist, the mist is too thick. Zabuza himself shouldn't be able to see anything either,'_ Kakashi thought before having to deflect incoming shuriken behind him with his kunai.

"You dodged that quite nicely. Just what I expected from Kakashi the Sharingan user," Zabuza said behind Kakashi.

Kakashi spun around and his eyes widened. _'He… he has his eyes closed,_ ' he thought. Despite the danger, he was impressed.

"But when you see me next, that will be the end. You overestimate with that sharingan," Zabuza said.

"What!?" Kakashi said.

"You talk as if you knew everything. Your prediction was incorrect. Kakashi, you cannot see through my mind or the future. Your sharingan is just trickery that makes another think so. One who possess the sharingan has the eye of insight and an eye of hypnosis. Using those two abilities, you executed techniques one after the other and acted if you knew the future.

First, you copied my movement right away using your eye. This was your body manipulation stage. You used it to disturb me, and once you confirmed that my mind was shaking, you pretended that you were me and decided what I was thinking. This was your mind manipulation stage. Then after you confirmed I was severely spooked. You set up a clever trap. You used your sharingan to put a genjutsu on me. Making me form the seals first, and then copying it. This was your technique manipulation technique.

Now… since that was the case, the solution is easy. First, I conceal myself in this heavy fog and render the sharingan useless," Zabuza said in the mist.

Kakashi was hit and flew back, using his kunai to slow down. "Damn it! I can't guard myself in time," Kakashi complained.

Zabuza chuckled in the mist, "Then, I close my eyes and kill the possibility that you can cast a genjutsu on me in close combat."

"Why?" Kakashi asked. "That makes you blind too," he said.

"Have you forgotten?" Zabuza responded. "I am a master of silent killing. I can locate a target with just sound."

Kakashi's eyes widened at the realisation.

"He tracked my movement! No, that can't be," Haku said, confusion was evident.

Naruto bit his lower lip, "Damn it! You were so close," Naruto complained.

"Naruto," Sasuke said. "Can you still move around?"

Naruto nodded slightly, "Yeah! I still have plenty of energy," Naruto told Sasuke.

"No, it couldn't be. It must have of been a fluke," Haku said as the mirrors glowed white again.

Sasuke ran through the hand seals Tiger-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger, "Naruto run!" he shouted to the blond. "Get out of here and attack from the outside!"

Naruto got the underlying message, "Got it ttebayo!" he said with determination as he ran with high speeds to the edge of the dome.

"Will you be able to?" Haku said, the mirrors glowed white and Naruto was pushed back.

Naruto stood up quickly and ran again, putting his head down, "I'm not going to give up." He said under his breath.

Naruto increased his speed _. 'When did he get that fast?_ ' Haku thought. Haku left the mirror and launched towards Naruto, trying to intercept.

 _'This is it!'_ Sasuke thought. ' _Fire release: Grand fireball technique_.'

Haku saw the fire ball and gracefully dodged it and threw a senbon needle. As Naruto's foot was outside the dome, the back of his jacket was grabbed and was thrown back into the middle with Sasuke. _'I could have escaped. But, it wouldn't have made a difference. I can't attack from the outside now Haku knows I'm here on the bridge,'_ Naruto thought as he looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke had a senbon needle stuck in his left shoulder, it was deeply embedded into his muscles. "That was good!" Sasuke said, receiving a confused look from Naruto. "Let's try it again."

"Okay," Naruto agreed. He had no plan of his own on how to deal with the ice.

 _'He will most likely run out of chakra at some point. He's showing it, he's gradually slowing down,'_ Sasuke thought before he and Naruto nodded to each other and ran off in different directions.

"I won't let it happen the way you expect it. First I will stop you!" Haku said, throwing multiple senbon needles. All of them struck the two Genin and both howled in pain.

Naruto was breathing heavily. "Sensei, Sakura," he said in between breaths.

Naruto stood up and breathed heavily. "Damnit! This hurts so much, I gotta do something about it," Naruto said. He started to pull out the stuck senbon needles out of his body carefully one at a time.

After the last one was picked from his body, he flowed chakra to his feet and flew to the edge of the dome. Haku appeared in front of Naruto in an instant. Naruto back flipped and ran in the opposite direction. Haku followed suit in the mirrors. Naruto turned and kept running.

"Naruto! Behind you!" Sasuke shouted from a distance.

This caught Naruto off guard and he looked back. Haku was already in the mirror and threw senbon needles at Naruto. "It's impossible to escape from this. I can assure you of that," Haku said.

Naruto slid across the ground. Most of the needles hit his legs. Sasuke ran over. "Can you stand up, Naruto?" he asked. "Don't waste your chakra like that. That's what he wants us to do," Sasuke said loudly to Naruto. "Come on, we can do this!"

"I know. But we'll die if we do nothing. Shit! I can't move my legs. Damn needles!" Naruto complained, inspecting where the needles penetrated his legs.

"I will put an end to this now," Haku said as senbon needles were thrown, aimed at Sasuke. Sasuke grabbed a loose needle on the ground and deflected all the incoming needles. "What? I was going for his vulnerable spots, but he keeps dodging them," Haku said quietly.

"Naruto! Stand up!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto. "Come on!"

Naruto took out the senbon needles that were stuck in his leg and began to sit up. "I know! Stop being so annoying!" Naruto said. "I can hear you!"

Haku started another storm of senbon needles aimed to Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke was deflecting and dodging the needles while Naruto was dodging the needles as they flew at him.

"They should be hanging on by a thread. How can they keep fighting? Can they see my movements? That black haired boy sees something. What is he able to see? Fine, then I will!" Haku said, the image vanishing from the mirror.

"He disappeared? Where? Where did he go?" Sasuke said confused. "Naruto, watch your back! I can't cover you anymore!"

Naruto was crouching down, some needles got to his legs and arms again, he lost mobility. "I don't need your help," Naruto stuttered out.

"Looks like that boy can't move properly anymore. You move brilliantly, but you move too much. I will stop you with the next shot. Movement, reflexes, and situation analyzation ability. All that should be worn out!" Haku taunted.

Naruto looked up to see Sasuke grab and then jump from their spot. Senbon needles landed where they once stood. Naruto looked up to see the strong face of Sasuke, with his eyes glowing red with tomoe marks.

"The Sharingan!" Naruto said as Sasuke took in a barrage of needles, they pierced into his body. The pain made Sasuke drop Naruto to the ground.

It didn't end there. More needles flew towards Naruto. He couldn't dodge from them. Sasuke jumped in front of his body and warded off the approaching Haku. Receiving many blows himself. "You really… are a burden," Sasuke hoarsely said. He body was hunching forward. His breathing was heavy.

Naruto used all his strength and pulled himself forward towards Sasuke. "You did it Sasuke," he said with some happiness until he got a good look at him.

"Look at yourself, you idiot," Sasuke struggled to say.

Naruto was looking at him with wide-eyes, "Why did you protect me?" Naruto said with grief.

"Who knows," Sasuke said, some blood dripping from his mouth. "You were my friend."

Naruto eyes widened. He was speechless.

Naruto ran over and caught Sasuke in his arms, staring down at his face. "That man… I didn't want to die before I killed my brother. You don't die Naruto, please live on, my only friend," Sasuke whispered as his head became limp, his eyes dulled and closed, the little emotion that was present in his face all but disappeared.

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. His body hugged the heavy body of Sasuke and held it tight. Tears were forming under his eyes.

"He was able to jump into a trap to protect someone important to him. He's a ninja worthy of respect. Is this the first time you've seen a friend die? That is the path of the ninja," Haku said, merging back into the mirror.

"Shut up! I wanted to help you but all I did was make you die for me," Naruto gritted out.

A force pushed dust and mist around him. Heat was radiating from Naruto and steam rose from the puddle he knelt on. "I was too weak. I promised that this will never happen. I'm so angry at myself. You will pay," Naruto hissed out.

Steam and mist was pushed to the side. It cleared immediately as red chakra escaped Naruto's body. Swirling like a rising whirlpool. The chakra dug into the ground making cracks where it travelled. Pebbles and small stones rose through the air. Naruto stood up, his head was down, his eyes were covered by his hair.

Naruto's whole body was shaking. His hands clenched into fists, it felt like he was on fire. His whisker marks grew thicker and his canines extruded, resembling fangs.

Naruto brought his face up to see Haku, his eyes now red with a black slit. "I'll kill you!" he said demonically.

Naruto's eyes were never taken off Haku, the red chakra manifested to a large grinning fox head, above the head of Naruto. Naruto's muscles expanded and the stuck senbon needles flew out of his body. Steam escaped from the holes as his wounds closed immediately. The cuts on Naruto's arms and face closed in an instant. His nails growing, now becoming claws.

 _'The wounds on his hands are regenerating. Who is this boy? Who are you Naruto-kun?'_ Haku thought with more fear.

Naruto turned his stare into a glare. His killing intent was emitting itself with his chakra. Haku had to take a step back. Kakashi and Zabuza both noticed the change in the air.

 _'Is this Zabuza? No, this disgusting chakra belongs to the Kyūbi! Did his…'_ Kakashi thought about the worst possible outcome.

 _'What is this chakra? It's so unpleasant. Is it Kakashi? No, it's too big to belong to Kakashi. Who is it then?'_ Zabuza thought with a cold sweat.

 _'Naruto! What a disaster! The seal going out of control at a time like this! I have to put Naruto to sleep,'_ Kakashi thought.

The dome was now filled with Naruto's red chakra, the mirrors being pushed back slightly by the unbelievable force. The chakra stopped flowing out of Naruto and he hunched down like an animal. His hair grew more feral and his eyes were fixed onto Haku.

 _'What a thirst for blood! He's the total opposite of the boy I fought a moment ago. He's coming!'_ Haku thought, throwing senbon needles at Naruto. Naruto roared. Chakra blasted from his body, deflecting the needles.

 _'What? He deflected it with just his chakra. Then I'll do this!'_ Haku thought, throwing senbon needles from all directions.

Naruto hunched over as the needles dug into his body. Roaring wildly. He stretched his body. The needles flew. The force of the chakra that went out of his body was so powerful, Haku had to cover her face.

Naruto ran over and destroyed the mirror with a powerful punch. Mirror shards flew everywhere. Haku went through one of the shards with senbon needles in hand.

"How about this then?" Haku said, targeting Naruto from above. Naruto dodged with ease, spinning in mid-air. Haku crashed into the ground and a dust cloud came.

"This isn't good!" Haku said and tried going back to the mirror but Naruto caught her wrist. Naruto let his chakra pour out. Sasuke's body skidded across the ground from the force.

Naruto's chakra was blowing back Haku's body and hair but Haku was still stuck in Naruto's grip. 'I can't hold back his powers!' Haku thought, fear coursing through her veins.

Naruto made his right hand into a fist and used the Kyūbi's chakra to tense up his muscles. He unleashed the muscles and punched Haku in the face.

Haku flew back and smashed through an ice mirror. Haku skidded back metres away. Naruto stood where he was while the rest of the ice mirrors shattered to tiny pieces.

Naruto ran towards Haku with a howl. _'Zabuza-san… I can't compete with him. Zabuza-san… I,'_ Haku thought as Naruto came closer and closer. It seemed that her death was set in stone.

The rest of the mask fell, revealing the rest of Haku's face. Naruto calmed down from the sight, his dark whiskers disappeared, and his eyes returned to his original cerulean blue colour. "Haku," Naruto said coldly, he retracted his punch and stepped back a bit.

"Why did you stop?" Haku asked. Naruto looked at her funny. "I killed an important friend of yours, but you can't kill me?" Haku asked again.

Naruto looked at her with a serious expression. "I don't know!" Naruto shouted.

Haku was confused.

Naruto tapped his foot against the ground. "Maybe because you're like me. Maybe I'm too soft and naïve. I can see it in your eyes. They were exactly like mine. My whole being doesn't want to kill you," Naruto said.

"There are those who have the wrong idea," Haku said looking at Naruto. "People fail to defeat an enemy that needs to be defeated, show them mercy instead, and decide not to take their life. If you ask me, doing something like that is not showing mercy. Do you know the pain of living without a dream? Knowing you're not needed by anyone?" Haku asked.

Naruto looked down, saddened by the words. "Ten years. Ten years I felt like some sort of… abomination. Nobody wanted to even see me. I know how you feel," he said looking at Haku.

"Zabuza-san doesn't need a weak ninja. You stole my reason to exist," Haku said looking down.

Naruto's expression darkened. "He's your only reason to live, really? I get that he's an important person to you. But losing to me doesn't mean you have to cease to exist. He can't be the only reason to stay alive!"

"I had people that were important to me a long time ago. My parents. I was born in a small village in the Land of Water, where the snow piled deep in winter and the swamps appeared in the summer. All we did was farm, and we were poor. But my father and mother were happy with it. I was happy, my parents were kind people. But, when I first took my surroundings, something happened."

"Something happened? What happened?"

"This blood," Haku said wiping some blood from her bloodied lip.

"Your power?" Naruto responded with a slight eye-brow raise.

"Yes. My father killed my mother and tried to kill me. My country has experienced many civil wars, and those with my kind of abilities were hated. Because of that power, the country itself feared them to be harbingers of disasters and wars. After the many battles, those families hid their abilities and lived on. Because… Death only awaited them if they revealed the secret. That boy probably had a tough time as well. Those who have special abilities are feared by everyone."

"No, you're wrong."

"Huh?"

"The village treated Sasuke well enough despite his amazing eyes. Why? I don't know all the details, but that Sharingan is powerful, too powerful. The village probably wanted him to stay so he could pass it on. Especially after when that happened," Naruto said sadly, seeing the still body of Sasuke. "I was hoping now that Sasuke and I would become great friends. Now, he's dead. I'll wait until his funeral to cry."

"His funeral? He deserves it. In the Land of Water, they would have thrown his body to the sharks. It's horrific. My mother possessed the Bloodline Limit, and she passed it down to me. She married my father and became pregnant with me. She must have believed that an ordinary life would continue for a while… no forever.

But… my father found out about our secret. When I came to realize what happened next, I found out that I killed my own father. And at the time, I thought myself as… No, I had to think of myself as a… I realized that that was the most painful thing one could feel."

"Absolute loneliness," Naruto answered for Haku.

Haku's eyes widened at the answer and went back to looking at the ground, "Yes, the feeling that you are not needed by anyone in this world," Haku said depressingly.

 _'Haku was the same as me,'_ Naruto thought.

"You said 'I need to become stronger. So, I can become Hokage. If I become Hokage, I can protect Kotero-niichan and all my friends.' When someone who accepts you from the bottom of their heart appears, that person should become the most important person to you. Zabuza-san knew that I was from a family that had a kekkei genkai and raised me. He wanted this ability that everyone hated. I was happy," Haku said with a pained face.

"I'm sorry, Zabuza-san, I couldn't be the tool you wished for me to be," Haku walked towards Naruto until he was two steps away. "Naruto-kun please… kill me."

Naruto leaned back from the request. He has never in his life ever been asked to do such a thing. He was convinced he misheard her. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Please kill me," Haku asked. Naruto went wide-eyed at the statement. "Why are you hesitating?" Haku asked with dull eyes.

Naruto scoffed. "Just because of that?" he said. "What the hell is wrong with you!? There's so much more to life than him. Why die here?"

"Is it wrong? What's wrong with that?" Haku asked, her voice was devoid of any emotion.

Naruto put on a thinking face for a second. "There's no convincing you Haku."

"Zabuza-san had hopes for me. He needed me. But… I have lost that purpose that made me… me. Zabuza-san will no longer need me. That's why I am asking you to… Now hurry."

"You could have made people recognize you through something else other than fighting."

"The day I met you in the forest, I felt that you were like me. You should understand."

"Yeah, you're right. I do understand, that's why I think this is stupid. Is this, the only way for you?"

"Yes."

"If we met somewhere else, we might have been friends," Naruto said as he took out his kunai and went after Haku. His blade was ready to break her heart. "Maybe more than friends, yeah?"

Naruto lunged forward, ready to plunge his trusty kunai into Haku's chest. There should be nothing to stop him.

At the very last second, Haku sensed that Zabuza was in danger and dodged the stab coming from Naruto. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun," Haku said, gripping on Naruto's forearm with amazing strength.

Haku went through a series of one-handed hand seals. "I can't die yet!" she said. Haku then disappeared, leaving a cold breeze behind.

Naruto was frozen after what just happened. In the far distance, the mist cleared up and the final act was in motion. He watched as Kakashi wielded the power of lightning in his right hand. Zabuza trapped by his loyal canine, being held in place until his death arrives.

Kakashi was closing on the trapped Zabuza with his Raikiri in hand. _'I suppose this is it. So much I didn't do, I couldn't even save my own village, I truly am a demon,'_ Zabuza thought seeing death in front of his eyes, his body became heavier and heavier as time went by.

Kakashi launched his right hand towards Zabuza's heart. Ice mist blew from the ground and an ice mirror formed in front of Zabuza in the last second. A form of a human appeared out of the mirror.

A cry of a mighty eagle was heard.

"Hold your horses there, boys and girls. Playtime is over!" a familiar voice said. The person's hand gripping on Kakashi's wrist with iron-strength grip. His other hand blocking the Kiri ninja.

Kakashi could only stand there with complete shock.

"What the fuck is this!?" Zabuza said with astonishment.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	12. Chapter 12 - Clear Waters

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 12 - Clear Waters**

"Yo," Kotero said looking at the blooded faces of Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku. "It's nice to see a friend after a few months, isn't that right, Kakashi."

Kakashi was bewildered by the turn of the events. "Why are you here?" he asked. It was the first question that popped into his mind.

Kotero smirked at the question. "Mission is complete. I was on my way back to Konoha, but I needed to do something for someone," he said vaguely. Kotero then eyed up Zabuza and Haku. Both were in shit condition, it was clear that this was a bloody encounter.

"Who the hell are you?" Zabuza asked gruffly, unfamiliar with the redhead.

Kotero just smiled. "Uzumaki Kotero. The Crimson Leaf," he said. "Pleased to meet you, Momochi Zabuza."

Zabuza's face turned to one of shock.

"Kakashi jump back a bit. I need to talk to these two," Kotero ordered.

"Kotero, he's dangerous. be careful," Kakashi told him before obliging to jump back.

Kotero smiled and looked back at the duo, he saw some blood coming from Haku's chest. "Shit… Some of Kakashi's jutsu got to you. How you feeling? Can you wait for treatment?" Kotero asked with a polite voice.

Haku just nodded a yes.

"Now… Zabuza-san. Stand down," Kotero demanded.

Zabuza chuckled lightly. "You think you can just order me around?" he said as he gripped his sword and swung at Kotero.

Kotero reacted by drawing out his sword and blocking the much longer and thicker sword in its path. "Now, now Zabuza. Don't think you can kill me that easily. Anyway, I have important business with you. How would you like to go back to your village?" he asked with a smile.

Naruto looked up to see the gathering of people. "Kotero-nii… he's really there," Naruto under his breath, he couldn't believe his eyes. He then saw Kotero holding up Zabuza's blade with his own sword. "That bastard!" he said loud enough for Kotero and Kakashi to notice his position.

"Naruto! You stay there and watch," Kakashi ordered.

Sakura hears the voices of her team. "Naruto? Naruto! You're okay! Where's Sasuke-kun? Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked loudly to Naruto.

Naruto bit his lower lip, remembering his shortcomings in protecting his teammate. Sakura then saw the lying body of Sasuke beyond Naruto.

"Sakura," Kakashi said glumly.

"I'll go with you. That way, you won't break your Sensei's orders," Tazuna offered.

"Okay…" Sakura said as she shakily gripped Tazuna's bigger hand and ran towards where Sasuke was. They passed Naruto.

"Sasuke…" Naruto gritted out sadly.

The others became quiet to let the girl have her moment. It was obvious she needed this. Kakashi couldn't move his body to go help her, he was paralysed from his own demons.

Kotero watched as the girl walked to the limp body of Sasuke. Something felt odd, but he didn't want to cause a scene. This was also not what he wanted at all. The three young ninja were supposed to be great friends already, but now one is dead.

Sakura stood beside the body of Sasuke, his body covered with Senbon needles and scratches. His face having no emotion. Blood that leaked from his mouth was drying up.

Tazuna grinded his teeth and looked at the young girl beside him. Sakura's face was going through hundreds of emotions, worry, grief, sadness, frustration and many more. She knelt and put her hand on Sasuke's face.

"He's cold… this isn't an illusion… right?" she told herself in a shaky voice.

"You don't have to hold back just because I'm here," Tazuna told Sakura. "You should cry at a time like this."

"I always got a hundred percent on the tests at the ninja academy. I know the one hundred rules that a ninja should follow and always wrote the answers proudly. One day this problem came up… _'Answer the twenty-fifth clause of the Ninja rules.'_ And I wrote down the answer as usual. ' _A ninja must not show any emotion in any situation. A ninja must put the mission first and have a heart that will allow him not to cry._ ' Sasuke-kun…," Sakura struggled to say as she stroked Sasuke's hair and then broke down in tears and laid on his chest.

"T-This is what a ninja is… this is too cruel," Tazuna said with heavy eyes.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out as she broke into more tears and wept more and more, getting louder and louder.

"Now she finally realises that the ninja world is full of death and deceit," Kotero said grimly, watching the scene. He sighs and turns his head.

"Now Zabuza and… company. You can return to your village. You'll just have to wait for some people," Kotero said as he sheathed his sword.

Zabuza mirrored the actions. "Why should I take you for your word? Like you said there, the ninja world is full of deceit. You could kill me if I have my back turned," Zabuza said, having a critical eye on Kotero.

Kotero was about to speak up until he heard a heavy footstep. Everyone else heard it too apart from Sakura who was still mourning the loss of Sasuke. "Oh… Looks like you got beaten pretty badly. I'm disappointed, Zabuza," A short ugly man with a cane said, he had a cast over his left arm. He was in front of a small army comprised of bandits.

Kotero squinted his eyes. "Who the hell is that?" he asked quietly.

"Gatō, why are you here?" Zabuza asked, looking at the short man. The mist cleared up revealing how large the group was behind Gatō. "And what's with those subordinates?"

"Hehe, we had a little change in plans. I'm sorry Zabuza, but you're going to die here," Gatō said with a large evil grin.

Every ninja's eyes widened slightly. "What?" Zabuza gasped.

Gatō chuckled. "If I rented an official ninja, it would cost a lot of money. So, I rented an exiled ninja like yourself. If you ninja killed each other, it would have saved me trouble and money. And you call yourself the Demon of the Hidden Mist? You're just a cute little fairy if you ask me," Gatō said with confidence, all his subordinates behind him laughed at the bad joke.

"Kakashi… the battle ends here. Since I don't have a reason to kill Tazuna, I lost the reason to fight you," Zabuza said.

Kakashi relaxed and covered his sharingan. "I know," Kakashi replied.

Gatō walked up slightly with a snarl plastered on his face. "You!" he pointed at Haku, "I want your head you little shit. Breaking my precious arm. It will be the worst mistake of your life," he shouted out in anger.

The men roared and started to run down the bridge, weapons in hand. Spears and swords up in the air. They were ready for battle.

"This doesn't look good," Kakashi stated.

Kotero moved forward until he was beside Naruto. "No it doesn't but… we don't need to worry. Naruto and I are here," he said with a cheery voice. Gatō's men were closing down on them.

"Wait!" Zabuza said moving between Naruto and Kotero. Both looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Gatō betrayed me. I want his head," he stated with anger in his eyes.

Kotero looked at him for one second. "Go ahead. I'd say go through the crowd and take him out. You're tired though. I need you alive or else my balls will get melted."

Zabuza stood there for a mere moment after he heard the strange words. He quickly nodded and ran towards the bandit army.

"Do you think you can take us all by yourself?" A bandit smugly said before getting slashed by Zabuza's sword, his top half of his body nearly sliced in half.

Zabuza skipped through most of the crowd, killing those who only got in his way. Gatō was at the very edge of the bridge, seeing that Zabuza was there, he was scared for his life and was about to jump onto the boat that was docked beside the bridge. He already had his arm broken, he felt that breaking another limb was fine as long as he lived.

"Where do you think you're going… **BOSS**?" Zabuza said with a scary voice, the cloths covering his face were ripped so his jagged teeth were showing their whole mark. In Gatō's eyes, he swore he saw the image of a bull demon in Zabuza.

Zabuza swung his large sword and cleaved Gatō's head right off his body. The head flew off the bridge and it landed on the boat.

The men were now spooked that the man's head flew off. Zabuza, using his speed, dashed his way back to Kakashi, Kotero and Naruto.

"Shit Zabuza… I can see why they call you the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Stuff you do can scare anybody," Kotero said while amused.

Zabuza struggled to laugh at the comment. His and Kakashi's fight made him fatigued.

"Oi, oi!" a bandit said, banging the bottom of his spear on the ground. "You guys are feeling too safe," he yelled at them.

"Damn ninja, you killed our source of money!" another bandit shouted.

"Oh no! Now we must attack the town and steal all the valuables," the new leader of the bandit gang said. The group cheered and wooed.

"Let's go," the bandit leader said, as he and the small army ran down the bridge once again. A shine in the light made them all stop. A cross-bow bolt landed in the bridge, one of the bandits would have died if they didn't stop.

Everyone looked behind and saw Inari, Tsunami and the rest of the town, all armed with makeshift weapons and using construction site gear as armour.

"Anyone who gets any closer to this island will die facing the force of this nation!" one of the townspeople said loudly. The rest of the townspeople raised their pic-axes, shovels and forks and cheered, rallying with a united voice.

Kotero looked at Naruto and smiled cheekily. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked Naruto. Naruto looked at his older brother, his eyes widened, and he got a cheeky smile.

"YES!"

Both Uzumaki brothers made the cross-hand seal. ' _ **Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu** **,**_ _'_ both thought. Hundreds of Narutos and Koteros appeared in front of the Bandit crowd.

"What you going to do now?" all the Narutos taunted at the same time, all with a smug smirk.

The bandits freaked out and jumped off the bridge, only a few got to go down the rope ladder to the boat.

The townspeople cheered as the rein of Gatō has ended and their country wasn't in his grip anymore. All the clones dispersed. "Naruto. Good work. I'll talk to you tonight. Meet me in the centre of town at ten o'clock," Kotero said.

He then walked over to Zabuza and Haku. "Why don't we go somewhere private. Things are too crowded here," Kotero said. He touched the shoulders of both. They all body-flickered away from the bridge.

Naruto's expression turned into a depressing one, even though the mission was a great success, he only saw his older brother for less than five minutes.

' _Did I die?'_

"Sasuke-kun," a feminine whimper was heard.

' _Sakura? I… I'm,'_ Sasuke thought moving his head slightly up. "Sakura… you're really heavy," he groaned out.

"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled to the stars as she hugged Sasuke tightly.

"Sakura… that really hurts," Sasuke complained, still in terrible pain.

Tazuna sniffled and wiped his nose. ' _You must be happy, Sakura,'_ he thought with joy.

"Don't stand up," Sakura told Sasuke.

"Where's Naruto? And what happened to that masked guy?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto's fine. And that masked guy… I don't know," Sakura answered.

"Did Naruto kill him?" Sasuke asked, the first conclusion that came into his mind.

"No… At least I don't think so. You have to ask Naruto or Kakashi-sensei. I believed in you. You must have dodged the serious attacks to avoid serious damage," Sakura squealed happily.

' _He must have done it on purpose from the beginning,'_ Sasuke thought depressingly.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted out, getting the attention of Naruto and Kakashi. "Sasuke-kun is okay. He's alive!" She yelled happily at the top of her lungs.

Naruto looked at the standing but limp body of Sasuke. Sasuke put his left hand up to show that he was okay. Naruto smiled with joy and gave him a hearty thumbs up.

* * *

 **Coast**

"Zabuza. Give me some space. I want to heal your friend," Kotero said at the side of a hill, the three ninja were covered by trees.

Zabuza just huffed and went off in the distance.

Kotero sighed and looked at Haku with kind eyes. "I believe you haven't given me your name," he said with a small smile.

"Your Naruto-kun's older brother!" Haku said, still not giving a name.

Kotero just smiled and nodded. "Sure am. How you know… I don't know. But you must have made a big impression on him if he was talking about me," he told Haku.

"Why?" she asked.

"Ah, it's just that Naruto had a very, very tough life when he was growing up, until I came along. I say he is greedy, he wants me all to himself," Kotero said.

Haku giggled. "Haku… Yuki Haku," she said looking at Kotero.

Kotero raised an eye-brow. A small smile forms on his lips. "You mean the Yuki clan that were meant to be extinct? Wow, it's great that there's a survivor. Now Haku, I'm going to heal those electrical burns that Kakashi gave you. If I didn't stop him in that millisecond, you would have died. Yes, he's that good! Now, it'll only take a second," Kotero said as he used some chakra to form one chakra scalpel and he cut part of Haku's top off.

Kotero pulled back, tilted his head and looked at Haku's chest. Something was clearly wrong. It then hit Kotero like a ton of bricks.

"Oh… you're a girl. Shit, you have your chest bindings wrapped so tightly, that's not good for your breast tissue Haku. Are you masquerading as a boy, or is this your usual outfit?" he said with some disgust. He clearly did not like the outfit.

Haku had some embarrassment shown on her face. "I pretended to be a boy because…" she said was cut off by Kotero.

"Don't worry. I completely understand. Some men… even women, use the others without their consent. Not going to lie, it happens less to men. You're a smart kid though. Too bad your face is too feminine to really pull it off," Kotero pointed out as he started to flow medical chakra onto Haku's wounds that were over her now free chest, only covered by loose bandages.

The wounds were healing quickly. "What did you think of my little brother? Handsome, right?" Kotero teased as he wrapped a bandage over the now healed wound.

Haku had a pink tint on her cheeks. "Yes," she said quietly.

Kotero laughed. "That's good. The girls in Konoha don't know what they're missing, they should snatch him up as soon as possible. Handsome, strong, kind, funny and he possesses one of the strongest wills I have ever seen. He's a one-in-a-million kid who will change the world. I know it," Kotero said confidence.

Haku was listening intently and could see the happiness from the redhead's body language and face to see that he truly loved Naruto.

"Zabuza! Come back here! Haku is healed up," Kotero shouted.

Zabuza came back from the woods.

"Took you long enough… Now, what is it that you need to talk to us for?" Zabuza asked. His aura has changed, it wasn't hostile anymore.

Kotero clapped his hands, leaned forward and smiled. "By the orders of the Godaime Mizukage. You two are welcomed back to Kirigakure. Zabuza, the Mizukage wants you to come back. The ninja population over there needs strong ninja like yourself," he said. Kotero took out a scroll with the kanji of Water on it and gave it to Zabuza.

"Who is the new Mizukage?" Zabuza asked before taking the scroll.

"You know the person quite well. Terumī Mei," Kotero droned out. His experience with the woman was a bothersome one. He shivered from the scary yet delightful memories of the woman.

Zabuza was shocked and he opened the scroll to read it. It was legitimate. "So, the bloodshed has ended. The Yondaime Mizukage died," Zabuza said with… happiness in his voice. "I never that Mei would have taken the mantle."

Kotero nodded a yes to answer the question.

"But Zabuza-san, wasn't it your dream to become Mizukage?" Haku asked.

Zabuza nodded, "It was. I wanted the pointless killing to end. I wanted to stop killing my comrades. In the past it was fun. Lot's of fun. But I wanted to change that a few years ago. Now I don't need to. What happens next?" Zabuza asked.

Kotero looked at the swordsman. "You have to meet your old comrade Ao tonight or tomorrow morning. Location should be on the scroll," Kotero said.

"Zabuza-san, what is your dream now?" Haku asked.

"I don't have one right now Haku. I'll have to wait. Maybe I won't need one," Zabuza answered Haku.

Kotero smiled and closed his eyes. "You should take care of Haku, she's a good kid," he said as he turned around and walked away.

"Mei said she'll come down to Konoha's upcoming Chūnin exams. She wants to make an alliance and set up a trade deal with Konoha and the Land of Fire. It would be nice if you two came down with her. Especially you Haku, Naruto already considers you a friend," Kotero said as he vanished, leaving the duo behind.

"That guy is the blond kid's big brother? I can see it now," Zabuza said with amusement.

' _I'll see you soon then Naruto-kun,'_ Haku thought with a smile.

* * *

 **Tazuna's House**

Hours later that day, Team seven, Tazuna and his family returned to Tazuna's house. Once they got onto the wooden docks they discovered the dead bodies of Gatō's men.

"What happened?" Sakura asked, looking horrified from the corpses.

Kakashi moved forward and inspected the bodies, seeing their cause of death. "Clean stabs in each. One stab wound each, both in vital spots. This was done by a trained ninja," Kakashi stated.

Tazuna, Sakura and Sasuke were a little surprised from the piece of news. "So, is there another ninja around Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked worryingly.

Naruto moved forward and stood beside Kakashi. "I did this," Naruto said.

Kakashi looked at Naruto. He then patted Naruto's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it Naruto? The first time is always the hardest," Kakashi said with a caring voice.

Naruto shook his head side-to-side. "No. They were going to kill Inari use Tsunami-chan as a hostage then use her afterwards. I had to do it," Naruto said.

"Yes," Kakashi told Naruto. "Yes, you did. And you saved two lives Naruto. I'm proud of you."

Sakura and Sasuke were shocked that their teammate, Naruto, had killed two people. However, both were exhausted from the day, so they had no overdramatic reaction. "I'll clean this up. You guys go inside. Naruto take a shower, you're still covered in blood," Kakashi ordered.

The group silently followed the orders, and everyone went inside the house and left Kakashi to do the nasty business of getting rid of the bodies. Naruto went to the bathroom after getting a fresh set of clothes. He locked the door and turned on the shower to hot.

The water showered into the bath tub unit while Naruto undressed. Steam was rising, a fully naked Naruto entered the shower and closed the shower curtain. Naruto saw the dried blood and fecal matter from his infiltration and fights slide off his short body.

Naruto sighed and put his hands on the wall, this whole mission has been very stressful for the young Uzumaki. Naruto only stayed in the shower for less than ten minutes, he didn't want to waste water for the others. The putrid smell that he carried since morning has vanished.

Naruto turned off the water and jumped out. He dried himself thoroughly with the warm towel resting on the nearby radiator. His body was now crisp. Naruto went to the mirror that hanged over the sink. He looked at his face. It was tired from the exhausting day, having never experienced so much bloodshed in his life. It was an essential experience for a ninja, yet a horrible one.

Naruto yawned and dressed himself in his fresh clothes, it was the same outfit as before. Wrapping the bandages on his lower legs, tightly around the calves. Naruto put on his black shinobi sandals and left the bathroom with his dirty clothes in hand.

Naruto felt the temperature difference as he left the room. Goosebumps came all over his body. Naruto shivered and entered his bedroom. He took out a storage scroll and put away his dirty clothes. He would wait till he got home to Konoha to properly clean them, to save Tsunami the trouble.

Naruto stretched his body and left the bedroom. He went down the stairs to find the tired bodies of the remaining Team seven, Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari around the kitchen table. "What time is it?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi perked up when he heard Naruto's voice. "It's eight o'clock Naruto. Tsunami-san is making dinner for us," Kakashi told him.

Naruto nodded in thanks and took his place beside Kakashi and Sakura. He couldn't help but not notice Sasuke and Inari staring at him. "Is there something wrong?" Naruto asked, not in the best moods at that moment.

Sasuke looked at him for another three seconds before resting his forehead on his arms. Inari had stars in his eyes when he was looking at Naruto.

"One of you two should have a shower now," Kakashi said, reading his Icha-Icha book.

Sasuke nodded and left the rest and went upstairs. Naruto put his head into his arms while they rested on the table. However, he couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes were looking at him still. He looked up and saw Sakura was now looking at him. "You ok Sakura?" Naruto asked with a yawn.

Sakura played with her fingers before she found her voice. "Did you really kill those two?" she asked, she found it hard to believe her teammate actually took a life.

Naruto could understand where her question originated from, he found it hard to believe how often a ninja had to kill someone. "Yes," Naruto admitted.

Sakura was taken back by the seriousness that followed Naruto's calm answer. "How did it feel?" she asked, being someone who hasn't killed someone herself.

Naruto had to ponder on the question. Kakashi also listened in, seeing if Naruto needed some comfort. "I haven't thought to much about it really. It didn't feel too weird honestly," Naruto said.

He closed his eyes. "My body moved by itself by instinct and it just happened. It was over in less than five seconds," Naruto told her.

Sakura kept silent and left Naruto alone. She didn't want to poke the bear with her questions.

Minutes later, after the team all cleaned up, dinner was ready.

Tsunami served up a feast of food, using most of her pantry for her tired guests, despite the shortage of food, she felt it was necessary to feed them buckets of food. Naruto dug into his food, losing himself in the meal in front of him. He was starving.

Naruto and the company ate in silence. They enjoyed their meal, but they were so tired that conversation seemed too much of a task at the moment.

The feast was cleared, and Naruto was full. A small smile crept on his face. Naruto yawned after he ate so much. "I'm going for a walk," Naruto said. He got up from his chair and went to the door.

"Naruto, be careful, danger might still be lurking around," Kakashi warned.

Naruto nodded and opened the door. Leaving the house and closing the door behind him, he looked out to the view in front of him. It was a dark night however there were no clouds in the sky. Naruto looked up, his vision was littered with the white dots that were the stars. He couldn't help but feel slightly insignificant at that moment.

Thinking about all the things happening all around the world and everything happening outside the world. Naruto looked at the moon which was high up, it had a crescent shape, indicating it was the first quarter of the month. Naruto was memorized by the moon's shape. He never knew why but he always liked the moon however he felt that it didn't fit him right. As in it couldn't represent him in any way.

Naruto thought it could be the fact that Kotero always called him his little ball of sunshine. Naruto shook his head and walked towards the town where he was going to meet Kotero.

' _I can't be thinking like that at a time like this,'_ he thought while putting his hands in his pockets, keeping them warm from the chilly night.

Naruto walked at a steady pace, keeping his breathing under smooth control. Taking in all the nature around him. Naruto saw the district lights ahead of him and sighed contently. Another five minutes he entered the large town that was essentially the Capital of the Land of Waves. He went through the streets, the people were cheering and were partying, alcohol and food was being dished out at rapid rates from the bars and homes around the town.

The locals saw Naruto's forehead protector and knew he was one of the ninja to help bring them hope and salvation. They all gathered around him, lifting him up in the air and cheering for his name. Somehow his deeds spread through the town like wildfire. The children he feed, preventing them from dying from malnourishment told the whole public who saved them and what he looked like. The people connected the dots and were overjoyed when they saw the blond ninja, their hero appeared in front of them.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at their actions, he felt like a hero. The townspeople finally put him down and had nothing but great things to say to Naruto. Naruto just replied with handshakes and hugs to the villagers who wanted to thank him personally with actions. Weary men, poor old women, sick and skinny children.

They all had one thing in common, a shine in their eyes to show their total joy and gratitude to Naruto. Naruto's face just smiled, the impact he put on these people lifted his heart and completely made him forget about his previous burdens. The kills he made only hours ago completely disappeared from his thoughts.

The townspeople let him through, they didn't want to make him annoyed and wanted to go back to partying. Naruto thanked them all for the space and trudged through the large crowds, receiving pats on the shoulder from the citizens around him.

The gratitude made him feel like a billion ryó, the only thing he wished now was that his own village would look at him at a similar light, even if it was only one percent of the positive attitude that he was receiving here.

Naruto made it to the centre of town. He looked around for any sign of his big brother. He desperately wanted to see him. "Excuse me?" a familiar voice came behind Naruto. "I'm looking for the Hero of the Wave. Do you know him? He's supposed to have blond hair, one of the most handsome men to walk the lands and is super powerful," the voice continued to say.

Naruto turned around to see Kotero with a proud smile plastered on his face. His eyes had joy deep within the purple. Naruto smirked and crossed his arms and looked up to Kotero's eyes. "Yeah I do. I'm him," Naruto said before losing control and jumping into his brother's arms.

Both brothers hugged each other fiercely. It's been too long for both.

Kotero put Naruto down and looked straight into his eyes. "Words cannot describe how proud I am to be your big brother," hesaid with a soft smile. "My brother is the Hero of the Wave. How cool is that!" his words showed his pride was oozing out of him.

Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head, he closed his eyes and his lips formed a huge grin. "Yeah. Bet you're jealous huh?" Naruto said, his grin never fading.

Kotero laughed, laughed very hard. "Not one bit," he said.

Grabbing Naruto's shoulder, he body-flickered them to the outskirts of town and to the local beachfront. Kotero stopped and laid on the overgrown grass, he patted a spot beside him, indicating Naruto to do the same. Naruto followed suit and laid beside his older brother.

"You want to tell me what happened over your mission? I didn't expect you to have your first C-ranked mission so soon. Jiji trusted you would do well. I'm glad that you proved his trust was right," Kotero said looking up at the stars. The night was clear and calm, unlike the events that happened earlier today.

Naruto listened to his words carefully. "I complained after we caught the Daimyō's wife's cat. I couldn't do one more D-rank mission, so I complained and asked for a harder one. I'm glad I did," he chuckled out, also star-gazing.

Kotero laughed at Naruto's answer. ' _That's so like you,'_ he thought while looking at Naruto.

"What happened after you left Konoha. You were never supposed to go against a ninja on the level of Momochi Zabuza. I told how dangerous he was. What happened?" Kotero asked, Naruto knew by the way he said it, it meant he wanted all the details.

Naruto sighed. "Tazuna-ossan lied in the mission request. Kakashi-sensei said this was an expensive B-rank mission after we encountered two missing nin from Kirigakure ttebayo. It turned to an A-rank when Zabuza came into it," he told his older brother.

Kotero hummed and nodded his head. "Did you fight them or did Kakashi?" he asked. His eyebrow was raised.

Naruto's face was neutral. "Sasuke and I did. Kakashi used a substitution, a log. He then hid in the bushes, watching the fight," Naruto said.

Kotero furrowed his eyebrows only slightly. "Really? He put the client and you three in danger. Why? Ah, that bastard. Making you fight to see who the real target was. I'm going to smack him silly when you guys return!" he said fiercely.

Naruto was shocked, "How did you know?" he asked with awe.

Kotero put on a thinking face. "I only thought of it because it would seem like something Kakashi would do. I worked with him enough to know how he thinks in those types of situations. He must have known the enemies were there beforehand. If it was an ambush that took him completely by surprise, he would protect all of you guys in a blink of an eye," he explained.

Naruto took in the information, he was still trying to figure out how Kakashi functioned himself. "There was a genjutsu. Kakashi and I noticed it. It was a dumb one as well. It didn't rain for ages but there was a deep blue puddle," he revealed.

Kotero smiled, his brother's skills have proven that he was a capable ninja. "So, how did you and Sasuke perform?" he asked.

Naruto smiled. "After they dealt with Sensei, they tried taking me down, but I kicked them in the air. Sasuke used a shuriken and a kunai to put their chain, which was connected to both of their wrists into a nearby tree. We dealt with them afterwards when Sensei came out of the woods," he explained a shortened version of the fight.

"What about Sakura?" Kotero asked with curiosity.

Naruto sighed. "She protected Tazuna-ossan," he replied briefly.

Kotero tapped on his chest. "So… Zabuza? You going to explain that one to me, yeah?" Kotero said looking at Naruto.

Naruto told Kotero what happened during their first encounter with the Kiri swordsman. How he battled with Kakashi and his team. The water prison jutsu and the other jutsu that were displayed in the fight. Naruto also mentioned Kakashi revealed his Sharingan and how he used it to trick and battle Zabuza. Naruto then told about how Zabuza "died" by the senbon needles thrown by Haku.

"Hm, seems like Kakashi is getting rusty with a Genin team under his wing. I'm glad you remembered some of our lessons. You guys could have died if you didn't point that out," Kotero stated.

Naruto grinned, he knew his brother would be impressed with that observation. "Too bad it only came after the fight ttebayo. If I said it during the fight. None of this would have happened," Naruto said.

Kotero's face scrunched up slightly. "It's for the best. If you pointed it out then, Zabuza would be dead. Gatō would have hired another rouge ninja by that time. Your familiarity with Zabuza and his partner Haku made the fight easier, and that bastard even said so himself he would have killed Zabuza afterwards to avoid payment. With your late deduction. One very evil man died, and two Kiri ninja returned to their own village," he explained.

"Nii-chan, why are you here anyway?" Naruto asked, it has been on his mind ever since he saw his older brother.

Kotero chuckled and sat up slightly. "I was asked by the Godaime Mizukage to give Momochi Zabuza a message. He was last sighted in the Land of Waves, so I came here. I was gathering information on his whereabouts. Until I felt the that chakra, the Kyūbi's chakra," he told Naruto.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "So, that's what happened. My mind went hazy after I thought Sasuke died," he admitted.

Kotero nodded. "Your intense emotions must have allowed the Kyūbi to flow more of his chakra into your system. I'm not surprised that he would do that. If I was stuck in your gut for twelve years, and in another's for more than a few decades, I would do anything to get out," Kotero admitted, shocking Naruto.

"You're not mad at me?" Naruto questioned.

Kotero looked at Naruto with a questioning look. "Mad? Why would I be mad? It's not like you knew what it even was. The only thing I'm worried about is your chakra coils and chakra pathways. A Bijū's chakra is denser, it can be volatile. I doubt there is any damage, but you are getting a check-up once you come home to Konoha," Kotero said.

Naruto groaned, he hated getting check-ups. "I killed two people," Naruto told his older brother, telling the story made him remember what transpired today.

Kotero stared into Naruto's eyes again. "Why? And how do you feel about?" he asked seriously.

Naruto gulped. "They were trying to kill Inari, Tazuna-ossan's grandson and take Tsunami-chan as a hostage. They were even talking about using her afterwards. I killed them to protect those two. I feel ok, is that normal? I thought I should be vomiting or something?" Naruto said.

Kotero nodded and a smile appeared on his face. "Everyone experiences death and the act of killing differently. As long as you don't go psycho with it and tell me or Kakashi if you have any problems, everything will be fine. I'm glad you protected those two. You made the right choice. Killing children, raping a woman. It's barbaric. I'm proud of you Naruto," Kotero said.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "You know what already happened on the bridge right? What happened to Zabuza and Haku-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Haku-chan? You knew she was a girl?" Kotero asked. He never expected Naruto to figure it out. Haku did hide her true identity, and she certainly fooled the majority.

Naruto had a shaky smile. "I met her when Kakashi-sensei was recovering. I did training in the night and fell asleep in the forest. I think she hesitated to kill me. It turned out she was getting herbs for Zabuza's burns," Naruto admitted while scratching the back of his head.

Kotero chuckled. "The stuff you get away with Naruto. She could have easily killed you. So, you found that scroll after I left huh? I'll see how much progress you made once we're home, but you still haven't answered how you knew she was a girl," Kotero pointed out with a sly grin.

Naruto's face turned red. "I grappled her and was about to arm-bar her, on instinct. I saw her face, she looked like a civilian, so I apologised and helped her back up. When I grappled her, her and I were on the ground. My knee was on her crotch and I didn't feel anything there," Naruto stuttered out. His embarrassment was growing each second.

Kotero just laughed at his little brother's innocence. "Naruto, you always seem to crack me up. She dressed up as a boy for obvious reasons. You're becoming a very observant ninja. Despite all that, she thinks you're handsome," Kotero teased.

Naruto became flustered. "No way! You're making that up," Naruto declared.

Kotero shook his head. "Nope. Asked her myself. I think she's fifteen or something as well Naruto. And she's quite the catch," he teased again, he added a sly wink to add to Naruto's torment.

"I don't believe it," Naruto said loudly.

"So, you think she's ugly Naruto?" Kotero asked.

Naruto's facial expressions went all over the place. "NO! It's just that I can't see her liking me in that way!" he tried to say convincingly.

"Oh ok. But I already arranged the marriage," Kotero said with seriousness in his voice.

Naruto's whole body went into shock. "WHAT!? Marriage, but I'm only twelve?" Naruto shouted in fear. ' _I'm too young to be thinking of any of that!'_ he thought.

Kotero tilted his head to the right. "It's a political marriage between Konoha and Kirigakure. Jiji will do the ceremony!" Kotero said with excitement. Naruto's face paled and he started to breathe rapidly, almost hyperventilating.

Kotero bursted into a fit of laughter. Naruto watched his brother with a confused look on his face. Kotero calmed down and looked at Naruto with a soft smile. "I'm kidding. You are so easy to rile up Naruto," Kotero said, still laughing.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! Now, tell me about your mission. Jiji barely told me anything while you were gone," he demanded, still not happy with the joke.

Kotero put himself in a more comfortable position. "I say you deserve to know more than anyone to be honest. I worked under Terumī Mei. She was a very… unique woman. Very flirty, but she is very strong. She is one of the strongest kunoichi I have had the pleasure of meeting so far. She's now the Godaime Mizukage.

This bracelet was given to me just before I left. She said it will show I'll always be a friend to the Mist… unless we go to war with them, then they'll try to kill me," Kotero explained with some hand gestures. He displayed a silver bracelet with the kanji of Water on it.

Naruto was listening intently. "So… you are friends with two Kage," he said bluntly.

The elder Uzumaki sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, essentially, I'm friends with two of some of the most powerful ninja in the world today," Kotero admitted while scratching his chin. "Lucky me, right?

Naruto went wide-eyed at the statement. "Wow… What was the action like?" Naruto asked, he knew he didn't talk to this Mei person for over two months.

Kotero sighed again. ' _Action seems like the only thing Naruto and his friends are interested in when I talk about my missions,'_ he thought.

He rolled to his side to face Naruto fully. Naruto followed suit, rolling over so they face each other. "A lot of it was standard guerrilla warfare stuff. A lot of quick and small attacks at the same time stuff. But, I'll tell you of the last battle we faced. It was a massive battle, the ones you hear in the history books.

The whole rebel army versus the majority of the Yondaime Mizukage's forces just outside their hidden village's walls. It was gruesome, and many died. But the rebels won, and now peace is in the Land of Water," Kotero said.

Naruto wasn't satisfied with the answer. "I want the full version," Naruto demanded.

Kotero groaned. "Fine. But it'll take a while," Kotero said as he began to tell the tale of the huge battle, the fight of hope and internal peace for the mist.

* * *

 **~ A week earlier, The Land of Water's Rebirth ~**

Few days prior, in the rebel's underground hideout.

Kotero was currently preparing himself for the next battle. Mei had announced how the missions done over the last year, especially the last two months since the Kotero joined their forces has damaged the Yondaime Mizukage's forces and infrastructure to so much of an extent that they were ready for a full-on battle.

Kotero was a bit nervous if he was completely honest, the numbers did not scale well in their favour. He would need to ask Ao for more details, being a former head of the hunter-nin department, he was the rebel army's best spy. Kotero put his pouches all around his hips and strapped his swords over his Jōnin flak jacket.

"The day to decide everything, has finally come," Kotero whispered under his breath.

Kotero left his room and closed the door behind him. He was told that he was needed to be at the mess hall for the mission briefing detailing on the final battle to come. He could sense all the chakra signatures ahead of him, it seemed that they were already gathered. Kotero walked through the deep earth corridors, closing in to the mess hall. He walked into the hall and everyone saw him.

Their faces lit up seeing the Uzumaki, he has been a godsend to their cause, helping them exponentially since his arrival. Kotero saw that they set up a wooden stage at the back, against the wall.

' _It's more professional than jumping on the tables,'_ Kotero thought. Kotero saw that they were still setting up. He had questions, so he left the hall and went to the mission briefing room.

Kotero walked past some of the rebels, they saluted him as they went by him. They see him as Mei's Ace, an ultimate trump card. Kotero nodded in their direction as he went by. He was surprised when they started the formalities, he was just grateful they didn't call his name with "sama" at the end like they did with Mei and Ao.

Kotero continued on his path until he reached the mission briefing room, where he saw the leader and her second in command having a heated discussion, most likely about the battle plan.

"We're outnumbered! It's suicide!" Ao nearly yelled at her.

Mei looked fierce after Ao said that. "This is the only chance we got! We need to strike when the iron is hot. Yagura will bring his forces back to the village and then we will have no chance to take the village back. This is a risk I'm willing to take!" she said with authority.

Kotero walked over to them to make himself known. "How much are we outnumbered by?" he asked them. He was hoping their little argument would break up with his interference.

Both saw the redhead and sighed in unison. "They have ten thousand ninja, we only have four thousand," Ao stated bluntly.

Kotero nodded and put his knuckles under his chin. "So essentially, the ratio is five to two. Not good. But you have me… I'm worth what? Ten thousand?" Kotero said with a cheeky smile, trying to lighten the mood.

It did not go down well as Mei furrowed her eyebrows at him. "I wish!" she spat out before huffing and puffing. She then looked at the map of the village and the geography around it. She was staring intently at it.

"Is Yagura going to make an appearance? He must be furious of the progress the rebels have accomplished, especially in the last three months," Kotero asked.

Ao looked at him with a paled look. "We received information that he will be spearheading his forces. They know we are doing something big," Ao stated with some worry.

Mei looked up as well. "I don't know how we will deal with him. Especially if he lets his Bijū loose," she stated grimly.

Kotero chuckled slightly, making the two pairs of eyes fall on him. "I can deal with him," he said seriously with total confidence.

The two went wide-eyed at the statement. "How can you say that!? I know you're a strong ninja, no doubt in hell about that. But this is a Jinchūriki with full control of his Bijū. Hundreds of our men would get slaughtered if we fought it directly," Ao shouted out.

Kotero looked at him. "I still haven't shown you two all I got. I've been training since I came here. I know how to deal with him. I have something very special under my sleeve. The Yondaime Hokage dealt with the Kyūbi all by himself. I'm sure we can handle the Sanbi. Trust me," he told them in a serious voice.

They could only stare at him with awe, going against a tailed beast was almost suicide. "I can't let you do that Kotero-kun," Mei said with concern in her voice.

Kotero waved her off. "I'm the only one who has the ability to even deal with it if it is released. Now, how are you going to deal with the bigger numbers?" Kotero asked eyeing the two up.

"I don't know. Skill and a good plan will always beat bigger numbers, but with this scale, I can't see us winning with most of our men intact," Mei stated, crossing her arms under her chest.

Ao could only nod, he didn't need to verbally agree that this was a tough predicament. "Let's hope that our men are better than theirs. Now what's the plan?" Kotero asked.

Ao turned his head to Kotero. "We will have four divisions, separating the forces in eight hundred men each. I will lead those forces and have lieutenants under me to help organise. Mei-sama wanted to have the rest of the forces, our strongest men and women to lead. She also wanted you to help her fight," Ao told him.

Kotero wasn't surprised with the plan so far. "Okay… Where and when will we attack. It's six in the morning now. The village is only three hours away if I were to run it. Five hours if we brought the whole army with supplies," Kotero stated.

Mei nodded. "You're right. We will be leaving in three hours. The army will arrive at the north gates by two o'clock in the afternoon. Today there is high humidity and there is a dense fog surrounding the village. Hopefully this will just about clear up after we initiate the attack. The north gates of the village are the biggest and the walls around the gate would be the weakest out of all of them. This will help if we needed to fight inside the village," she said.

Kotero liked the sound of the plan so far. "I take it each division have their own set of instructions and objectives," Kotero said.

Ao nodded. "Division one and two will be our assault squads, division three will be support and medical, division four will our supply run making sure our medics have enough blood and bandages and resupplying our ninja with kunai and other tools," Ao told Kotero.

"Will they be fighting the majority of the Yondaime's force?" Kotero asked.

"Yes. Mei wants to draw attention from Yagura so most of the forces wouldn't need to deal with him," Ao said with grim lips.

"What about the villagers inside? We can't harm them or the children," Kotero said fiercely. He even poked on the map which was on a stone table hard to emphasise his point.

"Of course. They will know where to evacuate. The majority of the villagers hate Yagura's rule but cannot do anything unless they want to die. Don't worry about them," Mei said reassuringly.

Kotero sighed and rubbed his temples. "The plan sounds good. When are you going to tell the men to move out," Kotero asked looking at Mei.

She rested her weight on her right hip and looked at Kotero. "As soon all the preparations are complete. Hopefully I make a speech to increase morale once we reach the outskirts of the village," she told him.

"I'll be waiting in the mess hall then," Kotero said and then departed from the two. Kotero left the mission briefing room and returned to the mess hall. Kotero leaned against the wall near the stage and kept quiet.

' _I have improved my skills with the constant fighting and battling. I'm stronger now than I was before I left Konoha. My clan's scrolls really helped me out with my chains. Let's see if they will be good enough for what's to come,'_ he thought. ' _Nearly everyday we had to fight, put our lives on the line. These three months, this whole experience has improved all my skills._ '

Kotero looked at the ninja in front of his eyes. He saw some with their legs shaking, some kunoichi were counselling each other with hugs. Kotero didn't feel as nervous as they were. _'Maybe it's because I still have a home to return to after all this,'_ he thought sadly as he crossed his arms.

Kotero waited in that spot for two hours, sometimes going over to a table to get some water. Mei, Ao and some of her most trusted shinobi came and went on the stage. They went over the battle plan once more, only give brief descriptions of each division's job. They already knew what they were doing, they were just being reminded.

At nine o'clock on the dot. Everyone left with their respective groups out of the base and moved to their destination, Kirigakure, the village hidden in the mist.

Kotero went after Mei since he was in her group. She leads the group into the forest and ran ahead. Kotero sighed and flashed through the forest to catch up to her.

"You're nervous," Kotero said as he ran beside her after reaching her position.

"Of course I am… But this needs to be done," Mei said, biting her lower lip slightly.

Kotero hummed in agreement. "Don't worry. They'll be writing songs about you and making statues to your figure," he said with a grin.

It worked as she smiled. "If they do. They better make all my assets look correct. I don't want small breasts or a flat ass on my statue," she said with a newly formed smirk, looking straight at Kotero.

Kotero laughed. "I would have to agree. But the sculptor would have to do a lot of work to actually make you look good!" Kotero teased.

Mei narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist. "Ouch! That hurt Mei!" Kotero complained after receiving a punch on his left arm.

"Then don't insult me," Mei said.

Kotero and Mei kept their banter up for a while before focusing on their journey. The other divisions were following them intently. Nearly five hours have past and they were only miles away from the Village. Kotero stopped Mei by putting his left hand up. "There's a massive group of different chakra signatures ahead of us," he stated, eyes still looking ahead.

She stopped and used hand signs to signal everyone else to stop. All the ninja gathered around her to listen to her words. "My people, the time has come," Mei shouted to the group. "We fought on the seas and oceans. We fought the enemy for what they have done, whatever the cost was. We shall fight on the walls, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, but we shall never surrender," Mei said, Kotero saw the people's morale was improving.

"They think we cannot beat them. It will not be easy. It will be a long job, this is a terrible war, but in the end, we shall march through terror to triumph. FOR THE MIST!" Mei shouted out the rest, her voice was amplified with chakra.

"FOR THE MIST!" all the rebels shouted in unison. Adrenaline already pumping in their bodies.

Mei jumped down from her and Kotero followed, both landing on the grass. "That was a good speech. Short and sweet. They look ready to fight," Kotero told her.

"I know. Me too," Mei said before dashing ahead. Their plan was commencing.

Kotero kept up with her. He looked behind and saw Mei's squad, followed by division one and two. _'The battle will begin soon!'_ Kotero thought with a grin, his excitement levels were going through the roof. His blood was pumping.

They travelled for only a few minutes until they saw a flat plain with many trenches in the far distance, filled with enemy ninja. "Damn, it looks like nearly all of the forces are outside the village," Kotero said.

Mei bit her lip. "I see that. And they built defences, fresh ones too. Seems like they knew we were coming today," she pointed out. "This will be harder than predicted… Shit!"

Kotero looked ahead and then to the rebel leader, her facial expression showed one of worry. "They will overpower us if we attack head-on. We need change plans," Kotero told her as they slowed down.

"Change plans!?" Mei shouted. "We have our whole army here, we can't tell everyone that the plan is screwed!"

"Look Mei! The shit has hit the fan and if we don't something miraculous quick, we're dead meat! Now, let's just use a jutsu or something that everyone can perform and use that as an initial attack. A four-thousand strong attack will strike wonders against the enemy!" Kotero suggested.

"There's no way we can coordinate something like that. We're the vanguard. The others are still behind us," Mei said.

Kotero ran his hands through his crimson hair. "Shit, shit, SHIT! Looks like this is all or nothing. If we kill Yagura straight away. The enemy lines will break apart and disband. We will win then. One of us has to find him and kill him!" Kotero shouted. "It's either you or me Mei!"

Mei sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. Their battle plans have completely fell apart and they haven't even started to fight.

"I got a plan," Mei said.

"What do we do?" Kotero asked.

"Myself and my squad will be taking out Yagura's top officials and supporting the main battle. You said that you're the only one that can take out Yagura by himself if he changed form. I'm putting my faith in you. This is the turning point for Kirigakure and this country. We can't lose," she told Kotero.

"I understand. I'll shoot a red flair if I need support. Good luck Mei," Kotero said with a soft smile.

"You too Kotero-kun," she replied and turned to her remaining ninja. "Men on me!" she shouted and moved with speed. The men immediately followed.

Kotero knew it was his turn now, he sprinted to the walls of the village. A minute of running he reached the edge and immediately started to climb up.

Using his hands with chakra to grip on the smooth and vertical surface, he pulled himself up and launched himself up. Kotero grasped the edge of the wall and climbed himself up. There were already a two Kiri ninja waiting for him.

"Life can't be easy, can it?" Kotero mumbled under his breath.

Kotero unsheathed his sword, Ruby, and got into his kenjutsu stance, the Kiri ninja came at him with kunai in hand. The first attack came, a large arc that would cut Kotero's left shoulder and chest swung with a kunai. Kotero parried the kunai with Ruby in his right and then elbowed the man in the gut with his left elbow, making him double-over.

A second attack came from behind, a Kiri kunoichi flew towards Kotero with her kunai ready to stab the back of his heart. Kotero could sense the danger and swung Ruby in a horizontal arc. The blade wisped through the air and cut the kunoichi's throat, blood sprayed as the artery was sliced. She died in an instant.

Kotero kept the sword moving, as his right arm was going close to a hundred and eighty degrees in his swing, he reversed gripped his katana and moved his arm beyond. The sword stabbed the Kiri ninja who was incapacitated in the right side of the head. The sword pierced through the skull and the tip could be seen on the other side. Kotero pulled out his sword from the dead body of the male ninja he just killed.

Kotero looked to his ahead and saw retreating ninja going deep into the village. "Where the hell are they going?" he asked out loud.

Kotero kept his eyes peeled for the Mizukage but he didn't know where to find Yagura. "He's a Jinchūriki and a Kage level ninja. He would have massive chakra reserves. However, I doubt that he wouldn't try and suppress it. I'll try and sense him out," Kotero said.

Kotero stopped in his tracks and focused his chakra to find the huge chakra reserve that could only belong to a Kage level ninja that had a Bijū inside of them. He put his right index and middle finger onto the ground and made a one-hand ram seal with his left to improve his focus.

"Damn, nothing! I'll have to find someone to interrogate or pass by him," Kotero deduced.

Kotero jumped off the wall and into the village itself. There was barely any life inside apart from the growing trees and other vegetation. All the buildings had a blue tint and their roofs had mosaic stones. The bigger buildings had dome shaped roofs. If there wasn't so much bloodshed, Kotero would have stopped and appreciate the pretty picture.

Kotero knew he couldn't take in the scenery, he jumped onto the rooftops to get a better vantage point in the deserted village. He ran across the roof tops in a zig-zag pattern, as he had no idea where he should go or where any one else was. Frustrated that he couldn't find anyone, he calmed and focused his chakra for any chakra signatures.

"Got one!" Kotero said gleefully.

Kotero ran west of the village and saw a pair of kunoichi moving to the gates.

' _Most likely messengers,'_ Kotero thought as he closed in.

Kotero kicked the first kunoichi who had long flowing black hair in the head. The other kunoichi, who had brown hair, was surprised and turned around to see the Uzumaki already coming at her. She reacted by throwing a punch aimed for Kotero's face.

Kotero tilted his head slightly and kept going forward, letting the punch pass him and move above his left shoulder. He then grabbed her throat and then moved to a nearby building, he pushed her into the wall. The kunoichi's body was forced into the wall and dug in deep. Cracks appeared around her and tiles fell off the wall face.

Her body was in immense pain, being held up by one hand, his right hand, her throat muscles felt like there were closing in.

"I don't want to kill you. Tell me where Yagura is and I'll let you live," Kotero demanded.

The kunoichi looked at Kotero with a frightened expression. Kotero sighed after heard a loud explosion coming from the outside of the walls. Gurgled screams of pain echoed the area.

Kotero let his face soften. "You hate Yagura's rule, right? You hate the pointless bloodshed. Help me to stop him. I promise you won't die," Kotero told her. The kunoichi stared into his eyes and saw that he was serious. She nodded her head. Kotero let her go and took one step back.

She dropped to the ground and her breathing was ragged but was calming down. Her long brown hair covered her back. She looked up and saw Kotero staring down at her.

"Thanks," she said after a deep breath.

Kotero crossed his arms. "You better start talking. Your friend is sleeping like a baby, you and she could die in two seconds if you don't start telling me where the leader is," Kotero threatened, his patience was wearing thin.

She nodded again and looked terrified, she knew his threat wasn't empty. "He's coming to hit the rebels from behind. Hoping to kill them in a surprise attack," The kunoichi told Kotero in a scared tone.

Kotero knelt down. "Thanks, now go to your friend and take care of her. If we win. No more internal bloodshed. If we lose, well your life will still be shitty," he said sweetly before fleeting away from the girl who watched him from afar.

 _'Shit! If he's attacking from behind, that means Mei, Ao and the rest of the army will be squashed in a surprise attack if he released the Sanbi. I need to hurry and stop Yagura,_ ' Kotero thought as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

He gritted his teeth in frustration, he was on the west side of the village, Yagura was going to attack the army from the east outside the village walls.

As Kotero was in the centre of the village, there were new chakra signatures. An ambush. Three kiri ninja jumped in his path. A fourth used a water jutsu and launched a water projectile at Kotero. Kotero stopped in his tracks and bent backwards to dodge the water bullet aimed for his chest.

"Shit! That was close," he said as he bent back up, eyeing up the ninja that want to slow him down.

"What do you want?" Kotero asked the ninja. He didn't care for the answer at all, he just needed time to think of a plan to dispatch them.

"Your head!" one of the kiri ninja said under a porcelain mask that ANBU wear to hide their identities. "You breached the wall and invaded our territory. This is an act of war Konoha-nin!" the same ANBU ninja said.

Kotero looked from the three in front and the one on his left. They all wore similar designed masks. _'Fish? So, they're a school of killer fish. Wolves or dogs would have been better, a pack sounds more menacing,'_ Kotero thought in amusement, already having a plan to deal with his new enemies.

Kotero made the cross hand seal. " **Shadow Clone** **jutsu,** " he said under his breath, as four Kotero clones appeared. They all jumped into the four ANBU's personal space and started a taijutsu bout. The original jumped into the air and positioned his body to the three ANBU guards that were getting clustered together by his clones, unbeknownst to the ANBU.

Kotero made the hand seals Horse-Snake-Tiger-Bird and then stretched his right arm forward, _' **Water release: Water arrows** ,'_ Kotero thought as three water shaped arrows formed over his right arm. He aimed his right arm over the three ANBU that were still fighting his clones and launched them. They flew and impacted the ANBU, the arrows pierced through their heads and broke their masks. The shattered pieces fell onto the ground as the ANBU collapsed, their blood sprayed everywhere.

Kotero became an image of a demon to those who were still alive. From head to toe, blood soaked to his skin. His cold purple eyes were the focal point of fear.

The remaining ANBU guard was shocked and his defence became wide open. The clone grabbed the man and restricted his movement by putting him flat on the rooftop and putting his arms behind his back, applying pressure to keep him still. The three other clones puffed out of existence the original came over with a kunai in his grip. Kotero positioned the kunai beside the ANBU's jugular vein.

"Where is Yagura?" Kotero demanded from his hostage. He needed to be positive that the kunoichi's information was correct.

"Like I would tell you. Yagura-sama is going to kill you and the rest of the rebel army!" the Loyal ANBU said under his mask.

Kotero groaned and threw the kunai into the man's head. The man's body slumped and became lifeless.

"At least he will be attacking the army. That makes the information more reliable," he stated. Kotero jumped from the scene and ran to the east again.

Kotero kept up the pace until he reached the eastern section of the wall. He scanned the surroundings past the tall concrete structure. He looked down and saw the rebels fighting the loyal Kiri ninja to Yagura.

"Seems like they are pushing them into a corner, good. But that won't last long. Now where are you Yagura?" Kotero asked himself once again.

Kotero was getting frustrated from the lack of one Yondaime Mizukage. He bit his lower lip, contemplating if he should fight with Mei and her comrades. After a minute of waiting, he lost his patience and jumped down.

Kotero used his feet and chakra to skid down the wall at a reasonable pace, rather than jumping the full height. He looked to his right and saw the rebels fighting. Kotero jumped onto a nearby tree, there were very few as the area as he peeked to the left.

There Kotero saw a short man. _'That's him!'_ Kotero thought immediately.

He jumped in the path of the short man, only metres in front of him to stop his movement. Kotero finally got a good look at him. _'Grey hair, pupil-less pink eyes, vertical stitched scar under his left eye. Turquoise and grey attire with mesh armour. This is the man,'_ Kotero thought.

 _"_ Stop right there Yagura," Kotero said in his most serious voice.

The two guards by Yagura's side were appalled at the way Kotero spoke to their leader. "You should speak to the Mizukage with respect boy!" the guard on the left of Yagura hissed out.

Kotero looked at the man, he was an older man with grey hair and a Kiri forehead protector on his forehead. A bastard sword was on his back. Clearly a veteran stuck in his own ways. Kotero looked at the other man who was completely covered in cloths.

It was similar to desert style burial wraps. No possible way of recognizing any facial details of the man. He was bulky and had a katana on his hip.

"Yagura isn't a man I respect. I know he's strong, but his beliefs and actions make him cruel and an idiot. I have been sent here to kill him. It would be good for you two to leave us," Kotero stated to the other party, he didn't want to fight two more ninja before fighting a Jinchūriki.

The older man was going to respond to Kotero before Yagura put his left hand up. "Kill him," he ordered quietly. The older man smiled, he and the man covered in cloths unsheathed their swords.

Kotero groaned, he then unsheathed Ruby and Sapphire together. He waited for his targets to come to him. Kotero did a "Come here" hand gesture with his left hand.

"Cocky little shit! I'll you slice up!" the older man shouted as he ran towards Kotero, both his hands on the large sword's hilt, ready to chop Kotero up. The clothed man also ran but in silence with his right hand handling his katanna.

Kotero focused on the two approaching men. The older man swung his sword vertically downwards, ready to split the Uzumaki in half. Kotero brought up Ruby, which was in his right hand's grip, up and parried the blow.

The clothed man used Kotero's open side and did a horizontal slash, aiming for Kotero's ribcage. Kotero paled at the incoming sword. He brought Sapphire to his right side, under his right arm and blocked the slash from hitting him. The swords clanged loudly and Kotero sighed a quick breath of relief. Kotero saw that he couldn't attack now, he pushed the swords off his own and jumped back, sheathing them away.

Kotero, in the air, went through the hand seals Hare-Bird-Tiger. _' **Water release: Water Dragon Bullet technique**_ _ **,**_ _'_ Kotero thought as a water dragon formed around Kotero and launched itself at the two guards.

The two guards were shocked that the jutsu was performed in the air and so quickly, with no body of water nearby. The dragon closed in on them. Yagura the Mizukage jumped in front of the two and swung his long black club with a green and yellow flower at the end in a circle.

A water mirror appeared and an exact replica of Kotero's water dragon came out of the mirror and crashed into the original one. The dragon's collapsed as they crashed into each other head-on. Kotero was extremely annoyed but yet impressed by the jutsu.

"Son of a bitch! But, what do you expect from a kage?" Kotero whispered. His stance was rigid, waiting for the next attack.

The clothed man moved towards Kotero once more, sword ready.

"Thank you Mizukage-sama!" the older guard said as he followed suit. The clothed man swung his sword multiple times at Kotero, Kotero parried each swing, trying to get a read on the ninja ahead of him. Kotero had to jump back from the barrage of attacks as the older guard swung his sword where Kotero was. The force behind the heavy sword sent a heavy and large crack in the ground. Kotero's eyes widened slightly, he didn't think the old man would pack so much power.

The two guards came after him once again. Kotero knew a water jutsu would get reflected back at him if he tried one. He gripped his swords tighter and closed the distance, with speed faster than both the guards shown so far.

Kotero channelled wind chakra down both his blades. A thick green glow shrouded both Ruby and Sapphire. It was quick, the thick shroud transformed, becoming super thin and sharp. Kotero moved between the guards and let them initiate their strikes.

Both guards swung their respective swords. Kotero grinned and swung his swords. Ruby and Sapphire carved through their swords as if they were butter.

The cut pieces of metal left the rest of the blades and dropped towards the ground. Kotero didn't stop his swings, the swords sliced into both guards, cutting them in half.

The wind chakra from the swords made a wind current follow each respective slice. The bodies flew away from Kotero, while blood flowed from their bodies, staining the grassy plain.

Kotero looked up and saw the stoic face of Yagura. "Do you not care that your men were killed in front of your own eyes?" Kotero asked as he flicked the blood off his swords. He then stepped three steps closer to the Mizukage, his stern gaze never letting up.

"No," Yagura replied blankly, as if he was a doll. "You shall die a pointless death Konoha-nin," Yagura said as he got into Kotero's space and swung his club at Kotero.

Kotero sheathed his swords after he dodged the club swing. He then jumped back while throwing some kunai at the short man to create more distance.

Yagura simply twirled his club in front of him, the kunai hit the spinning club and were deflected into the ground. Kotero bit his lower lip in annoyance. Kotero landed and ran through the hand seals of Ram-Horse-Snake-Dragon-Rat-Bird-Dog.

' _ **Wind release: Wind dragon bullet technique** ,' _he thought as he inhaled a massive amount of air, his chest and stomach expanded and then he started blowing it out straight at Yagura. The wind was thick, strong and powerful. The wind took form of a dragon head with grey eyes. It moved to its target, Yagura, at greater speeds compared to the water dragon.

Yagura did the same trick with his club in creating a water mirror. A mirror image of Kotero's wind dragon came and impacted the original. The winds collided and produced a pseudo-hurricane. The force was so strong that the Mizukage and Kotero had to cover their faces.

The winds settled and Kotero looked at the scene in front of him. The line between him and Yagura had deep cuts that were extremely thin, as if they grated the ground into thin slices.

The grass around them was cut to a short height, some parts of the plain was ripped off revealing the earth beneath the grass. Kotero saw more blood around. The bodies of the two dead guards got caught in the storm and were sliced up even further, the remains were bloody pieces of flesh. No resemblance to their original forms.

' _God fucking damnit! I thought that water mirror jutsu only affected water ninjutsu, not everything. Shit! This is tougher than I thought,'_ Kotero thought. He eyed up Yagura once again, who wore a face devoid of any emotion. _'His demeanour is freaking me out a bit,'_ he thought afterwards.

Kotero made a cross hand seal and created a shadow clone. Both he and the clone went in different directions.

Yagura stuck his club into the ground and formed a Tiger hand seal. Water rose up from the ground and transformed into the image of Yagura.

The shadow clone closed in the water clone while Kotero moved to the back of Yagura. The shadow clone used his katana to cut Yagura after it dodged a club swing. The clone broke and reverted back to water.

' _Seems like my clone is stronger than yours Yagura,_ ' Kotero thought with a small smirk.

Kotero and his clone then went after Yagura who hasn't moved yet. Both swung their swords at him but Yagura blocked both with his club with great skill. Kotero's clone puffed away, confusing the Mizukage.

The original Kotero, balanced on his right foot and kicked Yagura with a super-strength kick, using chakra to tense the muscles in his quads, hamstrings and calves to release a powerful left high-kick, launching the small man to the main battle field.

Yagura flew to the main battlefield, Kotero was quick on his tail. Yagura used his club to slow down and stand up. As soon as he pierced the ground to stop, Kotero came at him at unimaginable speeds and punched him square in the face. The angle of the punch was aimed to the ground. Yagura flew back again but was tumbling in the ground backwards.

Kotero watched the rolling body who was still holding tightly onto his large club, much to the Uzumaki's surprise. Yagura slowed down considerably, finally he stopped fifty metres away from the redhead. He stood up and rubbed his nose.

Yagura scrunched his face, then proceeding to fix the nose on the spot by twisting it back.

' _Seems like self-regeneration isn't completely unique to Naruto, but Naruto's cuts and bruises heal incredibly fast. I wish I could compare the two but too bad this guy wants to beat me to a bloody pulp,_ ' Kotero thought as he closed the distance between the two, so they were only ten metres apart.

Both stared at each other for a short time, there was no silence as clashing jutsu, screams and the clanging of weapons could be heard in the background. This fight has been going on for some time.

"Seems like the normal means of killing won't work on a ninja of your calibre," Yagura said, still in a monotone voice.

Kotero tilted his head only slightly, he wasn't expecting such a compliment, but a compliment nonetheless. "Thank you, Mizukage-sama. How will you kill me then?" Kotero asked in a cynical tone. There was no verbal response as Yagura dug his club into the ground and bent forward.

 _'What is he doing?'_ Kotero thought with some worry.

Yagura put his hands onto the ground and yelled out. His whole body covered with a deep red chakra, it oozed power. Yagura took a new form, a large red turtle with three tails.

' _Damn! He's transforming! I know I can get chakra poisoning if he wounds me directly with any part of his body, shit!'_ Kotero thought anxiously, his first battle with a Jinchūriki using its Bijū's chakra.

Kotero immediately jumped back with his speed. The new Yagura pursued him. Kotero freaked, the new Yagura reached him, he had a dramatic speed increase, Kotero was underestimating the Jinchūriki.

Kotero flowed chakra to his legs and feet. Using his chakra enhanced legs, he leapt high into the air, dodging a large swipe from the angry giant turtle. Kotero looked at the damage. Yagura in his new form demolished the ground as his thick hand smashed into the ground. Cold sweat dripped down from Kotero's forehead. Kotero landed far enough from Yagura and ran through a set of hand seals.

' _ **Wind release: Wind dragon bullet technique**_ _ **,**_ _'_ he thought as he inhaled air.

Kotero released the jutsu in Yagura's direction, hoping it would incapacitate the Jinchūriki. The wind dragon hit its mark and Yagura was put under a wind storm. Large cuts and slashes appeared all over the Jinchūriki's body.

Yagura howled in pain. The air formed in Kotero's body was now empty and he took a deep breathe. He saw the damage he caused Yagura and smiled.

' _Looks like a Jinchūriki in a transformed state can't use hand seals or any type of jutsu. That limits them to close combat… Unless they have something else to fire at me,'_ Kotero thought as he analysed what happened in front of him.

Yagura stared at Kotero with his new white eyes. He then howled at the Uzumaki again, digging its hands into the ground. Kotero jumped back, sensing that Yagura was pulling out all the stops now.

Kotero was correct, Yagura's new form started to form a darker red colour. The Jinchūriki started to grow exponentially. Only after ten seconds, Yagura became a gigantic sea turtle. So large in fact that Kotero knew this was the true form of the Sanbi, the Bijū sealed in Yagura.

The Sanbi had a grey shell and purple underneath. Three huge tails were waving at its end. Kotero saw the face of the massive creature. One eye was shown whilst the other was closed shut. The Bijū in front of him was taller than the Hokage tower in Konoha and longer than some streets.

Kotero looked at the Sanbi once again, it was a hybrid of a turtle and crap with shrimp-like tails. One thing those three animals have in common, an extremely tough shell. From that, Kotero already knew that the Sanbi in front of him as an extremely hard shell.

' _Armour stronger than steel and chainmail I bet,'_ Kotero thought with slight worry.

Kotero looked to the battlefield and saw that all the forces, both the rebels and the loyalists were staring in awe to the massive creature. Kotero couldn't blame them himself, he was getting more and more nervous by the second.

The Sanbi was looking down at the Uzumaki. Then suddenly, the Sanbi curled into a ball and started to roll towards Kotero with incredible rotational speeds. Kotero was spooked and ran as fast as he could away from the large turtle.

The Sanbi went by, Kotero skidded across the plain and made a one-hand Ram seal.

"KAI!" he shouted, fully disabling all his gravity weight training seals. The streaks and intricate patterns glowed blue on Kotero's body before disappearing, indicating they are in fact deactivated. The Sanbi never stopped rolling, it turned and rolled at even faster speeds to Kotero's location in mere seconds, covering hundreds of metres.

Kotero dodged the roll, thankful that he deactivated his seals just in time.

 _'How the hell can I defeat a Bijū one-on-one? I only planned if he used some of the Bijū's chakra not fully transform. No wonder the rebel army was so hesitant going against him. What can I do?'_ Kotero internally planned as he kept dodging the incoming and repeated rolls.

Some of the rebels on the outskirts of the battlefield couldn't help but watch the fight between the Bijū and Kotero. Gasping in awe on how Kotero is even able to stand more than a few seconds against such a terrifying beast.

The Sanbi jumped while rolling, launching itself high into the air. Kotero looked up and saw the large grey creature flying through the sky and it became bigger and bigger to his eyes. It was coming straight for his head.

"OH SHIT!" Kotero screamed as he jumped away from his spot. The Sanbi hit the ground, causing it to shake and break. Cracks appeared everywhere, stones and pieces of earth were flung into the air. An earthquake was sent all around the landscape, causing everyone to stumble.

Kotero was becoming exhausted from the constant dodging. This has been going for far too long.

The Sanbi stopped and uncurled itself. Kotero was confused but bent forward. He was ready for the next attack.

The Sanbi opened its mouth. Blue and red orbs of chakra formed in the front of its mouth. A swirling pattern like a whirlpool. A purple ball of condensed chakra was pooling up in front of its mouth.

"What the hell is that!?" Kotero said. His hands were shaking from the power that was radiating from the ball. It was so dense, filled with overwhelming power.

"Calm the hell down. You can do this!" Kotero encouraged himself.

The Sanbi released the ball of immense energy straight at Kotero. The velocity of it was quick.

Kotero sidestepped and dashed to the left. His own speed was enough to dodge the attack.

The Sanbi's attack kept going and going. It eventually stopped in a large patch of forest. An explosion occurred. The ground shook violently. A shockwave travelled all around.

Kotero was amazed from the sight. There was a mushroom cloud of dust travelling up to the sky from where the attack landed.

"That must be the famed **Bijūdama**. Fuck me, that thing is really strong," Kotero said with a wry smile.

Kotero turned his body back to the Sanbi. The Sanbi curled back into a ball. The Sanbi began to roll again and it came straight to Kotero.

Kotero dodged the Sanbi again and launched a wind dragon bullet at it. It did no damage, it was protecting itself with its rolling.

' _THINK! There has to be a way to beat and kill the bastard!'_ Kotero thought hastily, watching the Sanbi move out again.

' _I was stupid not to try and kill Yagura straight away. His human form was so much easier to deal with… THAT'S IT!'_ Kotero thought with a deadly smirk. His body rejuvenated with new energy, the confidence in his plan gave him the courage to fight. Kotero moved closer to the Bijū, the ninja nearby thought it was suicide.

Kotero made the Snake hand seal and stood his ground. He gritted his teeth hard as his Uzumaki Adamanatine Sealing chakra chains shot out of his back and wrapped themselves around the colossal figure.

The golden chains covered most of the Sanbi's body and the chakra chains went further beyond the body of the Sanbi, the chain heads digging into the ground to make the large turtle secured into place.

The Sanbi stopped rolling. The Sanbi was restricted by the chains.

"I knew it… these chains can supress Bijū chakra. No wonder Aunt Kushina was the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. My Aunt sure was an amazing woman!" Kotero said as he kept his ground.

Kotero felt the Sanbi trying to pull itself out of the chakra chains that were constricting it. Kotero felt the force behind its actions, thankful that the chains were keeping the Sanbi in place.

Kotero took a deep breath and relaxed his body and chakra. He flowed through the hand seals Tiger-Monkey-Ram-Monkey-Bird-Dog-Boar then clapping his hands together, the kanji of "Suppress" appeared on the back of both his hands.

"This better fucking work! **Hidden Uzumaki jutsu: Celestial Chains** ," Kotero shouted as seal scriptures appeared the chain links.

The chains that were wrapped around the Sanbi grew thicker, they tightened and dug into its body. The chains turned pure white in colour. The seals that were written on the chains blended in with the chains.

The Sanbi howled in pain, its chakra was being forcibly pushed back into the seal where it resided. Kotero kept his focus on the process. His concentration was being tested, he has never had to deal with any kind of challenge like this before.

The Sanbi's size was getting smaller, and its body was returning to its former stage of being a dark red colour, the Bijū's chakra shrouding Yagura's body was returning back to its seal.

Kotero kept up his focus, the chains were continually gripping Yagura's augmented body. If there was one loose chain, the Mizukage could break out and wreak havoc, the Jinchūriki could easily kill Kotero if he got out at that stage. this was something Kotero did not want to happen whatsoever

After three full minutes of Kotero's concentration, his jutsu completed the suppression of the Sanbi back into its seal. Kotero looked at the body of Yagura, completely restricted by his white chains. Kotero breathed heavily.

 _'That took so much of my chakra. Fuck me…'_ he thought while a smile manifested on his face. Kotero saw the tired and dull look on Yagura's face.

"This is the end of your rein Yagura," Kotero said as he removed his hands form their clapped position. His face had a tired smile. The chains returned to their original golden colour. Kotero kept the chains up as he unsheathed Sapphire. Kotero readied his sword.

Blood trickled down Yagura's chest. The ancient and deadly sword of the Uzumaki's was resting in his chest. Yagura looked at Kotero with a soft smile.

"Thank you…" he whispered out, getting a slightly shocked expression from Kotero. "I wanted to die years ago. Now I'm free," he said as his eyes dulled and his body slumped against Kotero's chakra chains.

Kotero took out his sword and removed his chains from the dead body, they returned into his body. He laid the body of the former Mizukage on the ground. Then, a loud chakra explosion came from where the seal was located on Yagura's body.

Kotero was pushed back far as the massive quantities of chakra soared into the sky and dissipated into the air and nature around him. He had to cough afterwards from the sudden impact.

Kotero returned to the body of Yagura and saw he had a soft smile still on his face. "I freed you? What do you mean Yagura?" Kotero asked but knew he would get no response.

"Let's hope you find salvation in the afterlife. Maybe you will be able to traverse to the Pure Land if the spirits still have a heart for you," Kotero said glumly and he moved away from the smiling body, leaving Yagura's club beside him.

Kotero walked out of the pit that the Sanbi created in their fight. Kotero looked to the horizon and saw that almost all the fighting has stopped, the night sky has come. He chuckled and sat down on the ground, knowing his job was done. He took out a watch and saw that hours had passed since the battle begun.

Kotero took out one of his sealed scrolls and opened it. He flowed some chakra onto one of the sealing patterns. An energy protein bar and a bottle of water appeared in a puff of smoke. He didn't hesitate to dig into his bar and drink, they vanished in seconds.

Kotero was resting his eyes and letting his body recover from the toughest fight he has ever had. He only noticed now how damaged his clothing was. Rips were evident throughout his outfit. His legs had many small cuts from the pelting rocks that came courtesy of Yagura.

Kotero touched the side of his torso. It stung in pain. He must have broken a rib from one of the Sanbi's attacks. He sighed happily, he was glad he wasn't the one to die. Kotero used some of his medical ninjutsu and flowed his medical chakra all over his legs and arms. Healing the wounds that he received in his battles.

"Adrenaline didn't let me notice them coming or even the pain. Shit! My legs and arms are stinging all over," Kotero complained as he finished up his first aid. He will need proper treatment later.

Kotero just watched the rest of the battle from his spot. It was the rebels organising on entering the village and weeding out the most loyal ninja to Yagura. He saw that since their leader has died, the loyalists have lost their spirit and stopped putting up a fight. He was glad that the bloodshed has ended now.

"I'll be able to go home… Finally," he whispered to himself. Kotero stood up and dusted himself of. He walked slowly to where there was a large gathering in the rebel forces. They were all cheering on their victory. The rebels saw him and lifted him on his shoulders, despite his protests.

After finally letting him down, he was tackled by a blue and auburn blur. Mei latched herself into a hug on Kotero. She hugged him tighter and then gave Kotero a kiss on the side of his right cheek.

Kotero grinned at the action and pulled her off him. "You happy now, Hime-sama?" he asked with a happy tone.

Mei smirked and put her hands on her hips. "More than you know," she said while twirling around and moving away.

Kotero shook his head. "So what now? Godaime Mizukage?" Kotero asked.

Mei smiled. "Everyone needs to have a rest inside the village. I'm grateful that none of the interior was damaged during the whole battle," she said gleefully as she started to skip.

"I know. That was much tougher than I thought it would have been," Kotero admitted in a serious voice.

"We couldn't have done it without you. You played a big part in this. I'll see that you and Konoha are rewarded for your generosity," Mei said honestly, thankfully for Kotero she didn't say one sexual innuendo in the conversation.

"The world needs peace and stability. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for our two great villages and nations," Kotero said as he looked at the cheering ninja who started to celebrate.

Mei giggled at her ninja, she then looked to Kotero with weary eyes. "I have one more favour to ask of you, Kotero-kun."

Kotero looked to her with interest. "You're really are grinding me to the ground with these jobs. Now, what is it?" he asked. "I suppose I could do one more thing for you."

Mei crossed her arms under her chest and giggled again. "No, it can wait. I think you need a rest. But, all I need you to do is find someone for me. He's very important for my plans. Ao will give you more details later. Let's forget about it now and eat ourselves a feast!"

 **~ o0o ~**

* * *

 **Coast**

"Then I went to bed after getting treated by a lovely young woman. Had an okay breakfast the next morning. Mei got inaugurated to Mizukage in the morning after. I told her I had to leave as soon as I could. Then she asked me to find Zabuza as she wanted the seven-ninja swordsman back and he was last sighted in Wave, which was on the way home. And now we're here," Kotero explained the full story.

Naruto kept quiet throughout the whole story and listened intently on every single word. "Wow…" he said. He was awestricken.

Kotero grinned and looked at Naruto. "I know, pretty crazy huh?" he said with smile on his face.

"Pretty crazy would be an understatement Nii-chan… How're you so strong?" Naruto asked.

"Why do you ask?" Kotero asked Naruto, deflecting the question.

Naruto sighed. "That story sounded something you would hear the Shodai Hokage doing. With his Mokuton, he did all sorts of crazy things ttebayo. He was called 'The God of Shinobi' for a reason," Naruto said.

Kotero raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm lying?" he asked. "And Senju Hashirama. I'm not close to his level at all. Not even close enough."

Naruto shook his head. "That doesn't matter… it's just amazing the amount of strength you have Nii-chan," Naruto told him.

Kotero sighed. "I never want people to die because I was too weak. I'll tell you a quick story that happened sometime in the last year. This will help you with your own reflection on your actions," Kotero said.

Naruto tilted his head. "What's this story about?" he asked.

"It's what happens when you are misinformed, and you are too weak not to stop the incoming trouble. It's what happens when you can't stop the evil from doing their deeds," Kotero said throughout gritted teeth. His voice was filled with sorrow.

"What happened?" Naruto asked. His curiosity was peaked.

"Konoha received reports that there were mass murders happening North-West of the Land of Fire. Near the Land of Hot Springs. The Daimyō wanted it to get checked out before it spread down into his country. Jiji sent me down to investigate. The last mass murder event happened around a week before the reports came in, and the one before that happened a week before that. By the time I was going to arrive there, it would be the day of the event."

"So, you stopped them, right?" Naruto asked.

Kotero shook his head solemnly. "Nope. Not even a hope of making it. The Daimyō's messenger forgot some details when he sent the message to Konoha.

When I arrived in the area. There was a smell of blood lingering in the air. Lots of it. Like a warzone. The same smell when I was a small child, when the third Great Shinobi War was on. I ran to the town and found out why. The mass murderers were there. They killed all the towns people and nailed them onto the walls and pinned them to the ground. They were in a triangle which was inside a circle. They were Jashinists," Kotero told Naruto.

"Jashinists?"

"Yeah. Insane worshipers who worship an insane deity. You have to kill someone to praise him. It's horrible. The Jashinists killed all of the villagers in the end. Men, women, children. Most were already dead when I got there with the samurai behind me. There was nothing I could do. All those mutilated bodies. Some of the children were still awake, but they were limbless. I couldn't stop their pain, their screaming.

The samurai and I fought with the crazed worshippers. We killed almost all of them. Only one escaped," Kotero said.

"One? How did he escape you?" Naruto asked.

"This particular guy was truly insane and insanely strong. He was weird though. He was always screaming in joy whenever a samurai slashed him. It was like he was always in a state of ecstasy. There are three details I will always remember about him though. He had grey hair, a giant three-pronged scythe and his body was covered with black and white stripes.

He must have legged it once he saw that all the other worshippers were getting slaughtered. I'm scared what the son of the bitch is doing right now. He's like a wild dog right now," Kotero spat out.

"What happened then Nii-chan?"

"It was a complete failure, the whole mission. We found out who was doing the killings, but we didn't prevent the death of a town and some of the samurai died with them. I went back to Konoha straight after and told Jiji everything. He was livid, but didn't show it. He let me off for the week. So, I could collect my thoughts. That was a really shit day."

"Is that why you didn't tell me, Shikamaru or Chōji on what happened back then?"

"Yeah. It was just too gruesome, even for a shinobi's standards. I told Shikaku and we're both worried for the future. That one loose end, that bastard, will bite us in the ass. A real heart stabber.

So, what would have happened if I was stronger or faster? Would I have saved them? What if I had all the information at the start? Could I have prevented this from happening? These thoughts were racing through my mind that day."

"That's a lot to think about Nii-chan. And that's a lot of pressure."

Kotero nodded. "That is what you will think like when you become a competent Chūnin and Jōnin. It will become even worse when you become the Hokage. Instead of just a mission, it will be the whole village and the Land of Fire. There will be a lot served on your plate."

Naruto played with his fingers. "I don't know if I can do that," he said.

"Yeah. You can't. You're only twelve Naruto. You're too young to become a Hokage yet. Namikaze Minato was the youngest to become Hokage. Twenty-three years old when Jiji gave him the hat. I was surprised that Jiji took the position again. Yet, when he told me that his students weren't up for the position and there was no other option. He had to. Jiraiya was spying and grieving the death of his student. Tsunade was still on her gambling trip. And Orochimaru deserted the village."

"Jiraiya? Tsunade? Orochimaru? I'm sure I heard them before."

"Jeez. Naruto come on. They're legends in Konoha. The Legendary Sannin. They're famous for being Jiji's students and their summons. I have a load of Tsunade's medical notes at home."

"You said Orochimaru deserted. Why did he do that?" Naruto asked.

Kotero scratched the back of his head. "Well, there were many reasons. From what I read and what Jiji has told me. He has done many bad things. He experimented on many people. He kidnapped many children during the shinobi wars and used them for his experimentations. He was a power-hungry ninja who wanted the position of Hokage. There were a few more things but I'm sure you will find out soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted me to be on his operating table one day.

The most dangerous thing about him though is that he is a genius. Through and through. He knows a huge library of ninjutsu. He has his snake summons. Jiji suspects he has a sacred artefact. Naruto, you should not mess with him until you reach at least the rank of Jōnin. Then, we can be sure that you have a good fighting chance to beat him," Kotero said.

"Is he really that strong?"

"He's rumoured to be the strongest fighter out of the three of them in terms of overall skill. I wouldn't like to fight the snake but who knows. I might get to some time," Kotero said. "Ah yes. I was told to give you this. You idiot," Kotero said as he took out a small envelope.

Naruto received the envelope and opened it. There was a thick stack of Ryó in it. "What's this?" he asked.

"Your reward. For helping that man. For going into a base and planting a bomb. That's your reward," Kotero said with anger lingering in his voice.

Naruto paled. This must mean…

"How did you know?" Naruto asked.

"How did I know? Ah, what do you do when you need information about someone that keeps in the shadows. Oh! I know, you ask one of the shadiest men in the Mainland about him. You pay him some money and he dishes out the info. That's the job of information broker. What happens when that information broker is also a drug lord? You try to avoid making deals with him. Sounds smart enough, right? Then what happens when he gives you an envelope and says, 'Say thanks to your little brother for me,' huh?

Naruto, please in God's name, explain to me how and why you went to Spades for information on Gatō? That is possibly the most dangerous and stupidest thing you have ever done," Kotero said with disappointment. His eyes were still angry.

Naruto paled even more. Kotero knew everything. "I didn't know what to do Nii-chan! Everyone in that town were dying and were hopeless. Kakashi-Sensei and the others were in danger. I needed to do something," Naruto explained himself.

Kotero nodded. "I understand that. But just remember that every action leads to a new one. An action has an equal but opposite reaction. A butterfly effect can occur from this. You might have done the best thing for the Wave, but another country might suffer because of this," Kotero said.

Naruto gasped. "Are you sure? What could happen?"

 **BOOM!**

The Uzumaki brothers look in the far distance and see large smoke clouds rise up from the forest.

Kotero turned his head to Naruto, and saw the latter ignoring his gaze.

"Maybe a world war can come from that explosion. I don't know, I can't see into the future. We just have to hope that your actions help Konoha and the Land of Fire. Naruto, the role of Shinobi is to be the sword of their village. We must take responsibility for every action we take," Kotero said. "Being reckless like that and planting a bomb in a drug factory is bad news! You have to think things through."

"Sorry about that hehe. But, does every Jōnin think like that?" Naruto asked.

Kotero shook his head. "No. Some are oblivious to it. Most think like this after a huge mission or after a failure. We ninja affect the world Naruto. Keep that in mind. We don't want to upset the balance and peace in the world. We fight in the shadows to protect the light."

There was silence between the brothers. The only sounds that could be heard were the crickets in the reeds on the coastline.

"I have to get stronger, so I can make the best choices for me, my family and my village," Naruto said with a clenched fist.

Kotero nodded. "That's a good mindset. Why am I strong? Well I train hard, I eat loads. I sleep like a baby. And I have a goal that will let me transcend any challenge that will come my way," he stated.

"I know. I won't die until I become Hokage," Naruto stated with confidence, his hand clenching over the image of the moon.

"Naruto," Kotero said, "I'm booking a room in the town. But I'm leaving as soon as possible cause Jiji will need to hear from me. Don't try to find me. We'll talk more at home," Kotero told him as he stood up and dusted his bum.

Naruto stood up quickly and hugged his brother tightly, Kotero returned the gesture. "So soon?" he asked.

"Yes. But don't worry, I'll be in Konoha. Jiji will give me a break since I've been gone for over two months. I'll see you when you return. And from the looks from the bridge it doesn't seem like it'll take that much time," Kotero said while ruffling Naruto's hair.

"Don't worry. I was just worried about you. I didn't mean to sound harsh. We'll talk properly after your mission," Kotero said. He then departed from Naruto and walked into the town.

Naruto sighed and walked back to Tazuna's house. The streets and forests were empty, it was well past midnight. He quickly returned to Tazuna's house. Naruto opened the front door as quietly as possible.

"It's way past your bedtime young man," Kakashi said as he sat on the chair facing the door.

Naruto groaned, making Kakashi laugh. "How long have you been there Sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi gasped at his blond student. "Not even a proper greeting?" he said with a high-pitched voice. Receiving a dead-pan look from Naruto, he coughed into his closed hand and looked at Naruto. "Only for twenty minutes," Kakashi answered.

"I'm sure your smut kept you entertained," Naruto said with a small laugh as he went past his Sensei.

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed at the comment. "You hang too much around your brother. He doesn't understand why these books are so great. He can be too naïve at times," he said with a pout under his mask before moving to Naruto's side. "How is he?" he then asked seriously.

Naruto turned to face Kakashi. "He's really good but I can see that Kotero-nii is dead tired though. It must have been awful there. He needs a break," Naruto told Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded and started climbing the stairs. "Come Naruto, we need to get our rest as well," Kakashi ordered as he continued climbing. Naruto groaned but followed suit.

* * *

 **Two weeks later**

"Inari pass me a nail," Tazuna shouted.

Inari brought over the boxes of nails to his grandfather. Tazuna nodded a thanks and started hammering a sign into concrete.

It took a minute. The new structure was stubborn.

Tazuna went down to the ground after he was finished and walked to his family, Tsunami and Inari. The other townsfolk were gathered there as well.

"The 'Great Naruto Bridge'. That sure is a great name," Tsunami said with a deep smile.

Tazuna nodded. "That boy showed us the true path. This bridge symbolises our country's hope. It's only fair that we name the bridge after our hero. Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

 **Konoha**

"Finally we're back," Sakura moaned out. She was exhausted from the long and tiring mission.

"Well, it was over three weeks' worth of a mission. Only ANBU are sent out for missions longer than a month, unless for very special circumstances. You three should be proud of yourselves. This trip has forced you to grow up," Kakashi said as he sighed Team Seven back into Konoha.

"Sasuke, what are you going to do now?" Naruto asked.

"Hn. I need to train. I wasn't good enough. You?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I need to check up on my bed ttebayo. I bet she missed me hehe," he said with a cheeky smile.

"HA! I need to tell Ino-pig that I got to spend three weeks with Sasuke-kun! She will be so jealous!" Sakura squealed.

The atmosphere was warm. Kakashi smiled under his mask. It seems that his team's rough start has been swept under the rug.

The air suddenly chilled. Kakashi turned around. His Genin looked at their Sensei with confused eyes.

An ANBU with the mask of a tiger appeared by a body-flicker. There was no noise or ruffle of leaves. The ANBU was skilled.

"What can I do for you Tenzō… I mean Tora-san?" Kakashi asked with a stifled laugh.

The ANBU groaned under his mask. He then coughs loudly. "Hokage-sama requests your audience immediately," he stated in an emotionless tone. A trademark of any ANBU member on duty.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. I was just about to report to Hokage-sama about my mission with my team."

The ANBU stood up and put out his hand. "Sorry Kakashi-senpai. Hokage-sama requested specifically just for you," the ANBU said.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke narrowed their eyes on the scene. Naruto was about to open his mouth to protest but Kakashi raised his hand to stop him.

"Naruto. It's ok. You three can go home. You will have a week lay-off from missions. But training will resume in two days. Training Grounds Seven at eight sharp," Kakashi said.

The three Genin nodded hesitantly but went on their way. Naruto went on a separate path home towards west. Sasuke went towards his home in the Uchiha compound. Sakura was following his every footstep.

Kakashi sighed at the scene. He turned back to the ANBU. "Thank you Tenzō. I'll be there soon enough," he said.

Tenzó clenched his fist in slight anger, he lost his composure. "AH! Kakashi-senpai. Stop using my name when I'm on duty. You're were an ANBU black-op for goodness sake. You should know better!" Tenzó relented.

Kakashi waved his hand side-to-side. "Stop calling me Senpai then," he said. Kakashi then started to walk away.

Tenzó sighed behind his mask. He turned around quickly. "I forgot to tell you. Hokage-sama and Uzumaki-san are waiting for you and their patience are wearing thin. I don't want Uzumaki-san breaking another wall again with his fists," Tenzó warned.

Kakashi paled slightly and nodded. He didn't want to annoy two of the strongest ninja in Konoha right now. Actually, he didn't want to piss either of them off ever.

Kakashi then leaped and sprinted across the roof tops of Konoha before reaching the Hokage Tower. Used to the routine. Kakashi waved to the Chūnin door guards and entered inside, gave a friendly wave to the receptionist and climbed the stairs to the top floor. Turning left and walking down the hallway. He see's the Hokage's office doors.

Kakashi knocks twice. "Kakashi. Get in here already!" Kakashi heard from the other side.

"Looks like Kotero-chan is in a bad mood," Kakashi mumbled under his breath.

Kakashi walked inside and saw the Hokage and Kotero waiting for him. Hiruzen was sitting on his office chair. Fingers laced. His eyes were focused on Kakashi.

Kotero was standing in front of the windows, looking down on the village.

"Kakashi. Sit down."

"Yes Hokage-sama."

Kakashi walked forward and took the only seat available. The one right in front of the Hokage's desk.

"This sort of feels like an interrogation hehe," Kakashi said. He laughed slightly and scratched the side of his cheek. He was uncomfortable with the situation.

Hiruzen sighed deeply. He then packed his pipe with new tobacco. A flick of the finger lit it. The aroma of cinnamon filled the room.

"This is no interrogation. Don't worry. But there are some things we have to say to you. Some things have arisen in the last few months that are making us worried," Hiruzen said.

"Like what?"

Kotero turned around. "I say I should explain things from now on. With the ever-hidden Jiraiya's information and the intel I have picked up from my missions. There seems to a large number of events that… there are some that are crazy, and some make little sense honestly," Kotero said. He rubbed his temples. His demeaner showed annoyance.

"Make little sense? What do you mean Kotero?" Kakashi asked.

"The disappearance of notoriously dangerous ninja from all regions of the Mainland. The most recent is a ninja from the village of Hot Springs. He was connected to those mass murders some time ago. We got a confirmation of his name. Hidan. However, all reports of his whereabouts are just filled with empty results. He was rumoured to be an immortal. This is worrying news," Kotero explained.

"There is also the fact that the Land of Rice has opened up a new Hidden Village. It seemingly came out of nowhere. We recently found out that it is call Otogakure. We sent an ANBU squad to investigate so we can have some sort of no-war pact agreement. But, our ANBU squad couldn't find the village," Hiruzen said afterwards.

Kakashi nodded. He looked to Kotero to continue.

"Kirigakure has been recovering quickly with a new Mizukage in place, but it will be over a year before they can be considered a considerable strength. Mei has told me that she will be coming to Konoha to strike up an alliance with Konoha. No doubt in fear of the other Villages."

"Other villages? Has there been something going on since we left for that mission?" Kakashi asked.

Hiruzen nodded. "Kumogakure has been building their military strength for some time. Our sources tell us that they have the largest army now," he said.

Kakashi was shocked from the piece of news. "Are you serious? I thought Konoha was the strongest still," he said.

"Since the Kyūbi attack twelve years ago. We were really hampered on all fronts. Especially good ninja and medical ninja, they were scarce. The other villages didn't suffer anything from that attack, so we were really put in a disadvantage. I don't doubt for a second that our ninja is of a higher quality and calibre versus the other village's, but they have larger numbers. And then there's Iwagakure," Hiruzen said.

"If you didn't send me on that mission two years ago Jiji, this wouldn't have happened. Their economy boosted, and they got more missions, when it should have plummeted to rock-bottom. The quality of their ninja is improving. They also imported tonnes of wood from the Land of Trees. No doubt for military warfare," Kotero said.

"You think a war is brewing? But it's only been fourteen years since the end of the last one," Kakashi said.

"We know. The only major village that we aren't worried about now is Sunagakure. Their economy is in major decline. Their ninja population is the smallest. And their drought six years ago made their village struggle to grow. If they didn't have their underground reservoirs, the village would have perished," Hiruzen said.

Kotero clicked his fingers, gaining the attention of the room. "They have been very suspicious though. They are hostile towards us more than ever. And they hired a mystery mercenary group to do some dirty work instead of using their own ninja. Things aren't looking good," he said.

"What about the minor hidden villages?" Kakashi asked.

The Hokage shook his head. "The weak follow the strong. There has been no change in the actions of the minor villages apart from Amegakure. They have been even more reclusive than ever before. There must be some internal turmoil that they don't want us knowing about."

"Who knows," Kotero said. "It might benefit Konoha. Less to think about for now. But, there are more and more reports of bandit raids and gang attacks in all the different regions of the Mainland.

The Four Kings are making their moves, despite ninja and samurai around them. They don't care and take what they want. They are mainly focusing in the eastern continent where all the hidden villages are. The contries to the West are much poorer, but have untapped natural resources. Who knows what they will do in the future."

"The 'Four Kings'? Who are they?" Kakashi asked.

"It's their new names that they gave themselves. They're like Kage for the underworld. They name themselves after the suits of playing cards. Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds. They're all people that we don't want to mess around with," Kotero said. "They all seem to be preparing for something big in the future."

"The future?" Kakashi said.

"This is just bad timing. The Chūnin exams are coming up very soon. I wish I could put them off, so we can investigate everything," Hiruzen admitted. It all almost felt like a bad omen was coming for them and Konoha.

Kotero walked back to look out the window. He sees small children playing in the park. They were happy. Innocent. They had no idea the horror of war or the life of a ninja.

Kotero sighed. "We need strong ninja to help defend the civilians and protect Konoha. Having the current crop of Genin go through the exams will force them to grow and we will see who help keep peace in the village," he said. "All of this could be destroyed if we're not careful, Jiji."

"So, you also think it's a good idea to go through with them?" Hiruzen asked.

Kotero smiled and nodded. "The world is changing in many ways everyday and we don't know about it. There's no point worrying about what we don't know. We should be seeking the truth and keep going forward. We should prepare for the future Jiji. The Chūnin exams will only be the start of it!"

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	13. Chapter 13 - Humble Beginnings

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 13 - Humble Beginnings**

Summer time in Konoha is a time where one must rely in the shade. The annual heatwave has come, and the sun has been beating down in the Land of Fire, drying up the land. The heatwave only lasts for two weeks. From the second-last week of May to start of the first week of June. There was no need to worry however, the week prior to the heatwave, there is always rain, that lasts a week.

From morning to night, soaking the lands and feeding the plant-life. This three-week period has never changed since the founding of Konoha and the clans who lived in these parts for centuries before.

Another tradition that was recently born was that of having ramen before some event. Shared with a pair of brothers.

"Order up!"

"You nervous?" Kotero asked Naruto. The exams were starting soon.

Naruto's right leg was shaking. "Yeah… but I'm more excited than anything else" Naruto said. He was sitting on a stool. The smell of pork was in the air.

Kotero grinned at his little brother. "I say one more bowl of miso pork is needed Teuchi-san!"

"Anything for my favourite customer!" Teuchi said at the back, already preparing the bowl.

Kotero sighed. How did that old man know he was going to order an extra bowl?

"I've taken some time off," Kotero said. This surprised Naruto. "I wanted to stay in the village while the exams were on. During this month, the mission flow will be slower anyway so Jiji has agreed with it."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Yes!" he shouted. "With you by my side, I can't lose!"

Kotero laughed at Naruto's antics. "I won't be doing it for you. Come on eat up," he ordered Naruto. Kotero then threw Ryó notes onto the counter and jumped off his stool.

Naruto vacuumed the noodles up. Kotero just rubbed his face in disappointment. Naruto's table manners were one thing that annoyed him to no end and it seemed that it will never change. Naruto finished the noodles in record time. They thanked Teuchi and said their departures to Ayame. They went off to the direction of the academy.

There was silence between the two brothers. Kotero started to give Naruto tips that he already knew and was fussing over the him.

"Nii-chan stop! You're too overbearing! I'm ready for this!" Naruto yelled at him, his brother worried too much about Naruto's safety.

Kotero sighed and sulked. "He doesn't love me…" he whimpered. He perked up again and caught up to Naruto.

"I know you're ready, you're stronger than most. It's just that now the time has come to prove it," Kotero stated as they were at the entrance of the academy, the saw some Genin from other villages passing by them, some giving the pair a lot of space.

"Do they know you?" Naruto asked, he wouldn't be surprised if they heard his older brother's feats.

"I don't think so. They must recognize the Jacket. Okay Naruto. Good luck you little shit. I'll see you soon," Kotero said as he put down the squeezed Naruto. Naruto saluted Kotero.

Both laughed at each other and then Kotero disappeared, a strong breeze went by the spot he was standing on.

Naruto looked at the clock tower in the distance, it was two o'clock. He stood by the entrance by himself, his form was safely packed in his pocket. Just about ten minutes later, Sasuke arrives with his hands deep in his pockets. They nodded at each other and began to talk about some battle tactics for the upcoming exams.

They waited for another twenty minutes before Sakura showed up, fifteen minutes late for their designated meet-up time. "Sakura! You're late. You okay?" Naruto asked as he moved towards her.

"Don't worry. I'm sorry for being late," she said but weakly. Sakura looked at Sasuke. "Good morning Sasuke-kun," she said in the same weak voice.

"Morning," Sasuke said, only looking at her with one eye. He knew the instant when he saw her that she was acting different. A lack of confidence?

The three walked inside and took the first set of stairs they saw, taking the first flight. There they saw a large group of people, who were watching intently at something. Naruto peeked through the people and saw a bob haired boy in a green spandex suit get punched in the face, he stumbled back and hit the floor.

Naruto looked at the door and saw two teenage guards blocking the door. "You're trying to take the Chūnin exams with that kind of level?" one of the guards said.

"Maybe you should quit kids," the other one said in a condescending tone.

"You're still just kids," the first guard said with a sniffle at the end.

"Please let us through," a girl with two buns for her hairstyle said to the guards. She then went up but was then smacked in the face with a fist.

"How cruel?" was heard in the background.

"What did you say? Listen up, we're being kind to you. The Chūnin exams are difficult," The first guard said.

"We've seen those who gave up on becoming ninja or became seriously injured after taking this exam," The second guard added his piece.

"A Chūnin is a squad leader. It's the leader's responsibility for failing any missions and for the death of any subordinates," The first guard lectured out.

"What's wrong with sifting out those who aren't going to pass anyway?" the second guard said with a grin.

' _We only went one set of stairs and the room says it's 301. This is a genjutsu or I'm going crazy. OH! It is one. It's a bit mean to do a trick before the exam starts... But I won't say anything about it probably,_ ' Naruto deduced, nodding his head with a happy grin as he watched the whole event.

"That's a sound argument. But I will pass," Sasuke said as he walked up to the two guards. "And undo this genjutsu you casted. I'm going to the third floor."

"Sasuke," Naruto said, making his teammate look to him. "You shouldn't spout out the answer to everyone. Maybe you really changed, I didn't know you were such a softie."

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "Naruto, you and I are the same for this. We want to fight to best to see where we stand. You must have been thinking of the same, right?"

"Oh? You noticed?" the guards said.

"Sakura, how about you? You should've noticed first. Your know-how of genjutsu is the best in our squad," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said, not believing she heard her ears correctly. "Thank you. Of course, I noticed already. This is the second floor," she said with new-found confidence.

"A smart ninja would have stayed quiet guys," Naruto interjected. "Silence can be just as powerful as any type of attack."

"Sometimes you have to poke the bear to get what you desire," Sasuke said in response.

Naruto grinned and shook his head. "You're such a-" Naruto stopped midway once he saw Sakura glare at him from close by. "Such a good friend Sasuke," he said with a caring smile.

Sasuke nodded with content and looked back to the guards.

The sign that had 301 written on it became distorted and returned to its original 201. "You're pretty good. But just being able to detect it isn't enough," the first guard said, dashing to Sasuke and going into a high kick. Sasuke reacted. His right leg lifted up, doing his own high kick.

The spandex Genin saw this and flashed, stopping the two separate attacks with just his hands.

Sakura was shocked. Seeing someone move so fast for her eyes.

The boyhad let go, the guard returned to his position, Sasuke focused his eyes on the boy's hands covered in bandages. Sasuke was perplexed, his thoughts shrouded in confusion.

"Hey, you broke the promise. And you're the one who didn't want to gather attention by doing something extraordinary," a boy with long brown hair and pupil-less eyes said.

"But…" the spandex wearing boy said.

The boy wearing the spandex suit walked up to Sakura, "My name is Rock Lee. You are Sakura-san, right?" he asked. He then gave her a thumbs up and a sparkling smile. "Let's go out together! I will protect you until I die!" he said.

"No way…" Sakura said. Naruto was convinced that she looked dead as her face went completely blue.

"What?" Lee said sulkily, shocked that he didn't get a yes.

"You're too 'unique' for my tastes," Sakura said in a grim voice. Lee slumped on the spot, looking depressed.

Naruto giggled quietly to himself, finding the whole event hilarious.

"Hey you there. Identify yourself," The brown-haired clear eyed boy said to Sasuke.

"You're supposed to identify yourself before you ask," Sasuke retorted.

"You're a rookie, aren't you? How old are you?" the pupil-less boy asked.

"I don't give out my age to boys," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Sorry. You're not my type."

"What?" the pupil-less eye boy said irritated.

' _Haha, Sasuke is being a bit sassy._ _That must be Hyūga Neji. And the girl is Tenten if I remember. This is funny,_ ' Naruto thought.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto. Let's go!" Sakura said excitedly.

"You the blond, Naruto."

Naruto turned to see Neji stare at him with critical eyes. "Something you want?"

"Your posture, the way you stand. Who is your Sensei?" he asked with intent.

Naruto flicked his hands, then walked with both Sakura and Sasuke to the exam room. "Hatake Kakashi. A strong man. If you really want to know the answer to your questions, stop being so cryptic and ask the proper questions. All you're doing is wasting our time."

Team seven left the corridor. The two guards that were guarding the fake door were now behind another door, but it was slightly open.

Neji's face formed a sour frown.

"Do you know him Neji?" Tenten asked him.

"Humph! The way he stands and moves, it's all too familiar," he told his team.

"Naruto-kun is strong. I can sense it. I want to fight him!" Lee stated with his eyes burning with spirit.

"The question is how strong is he though? Gai-sensei have told us that both he and Uchiha Sasuke are both strong ninja, capable of becoming Chūnin," Neji said. "This is according to his rival Kakashi, so it could all be lies."

"Did you not sense it Neji? His aura. You don't have that kind of presence unless you go through many challenges. Both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun have them," Lee lamented. "We need to pass the exams and beat them. Gai-sensei only warned us about them. Obviously, Gai-sensei sees them as our only threat from Konoha."

"Presence? What are you talking about Lee?" Tenten asked.

Lee turned with his fist clenched. "His fighting SPIRIT Tenten. Could you not feel it? Naruto-kun would be certainly a worthy sparring partner. I will have to ask him after these exams."

"Don't waste your time if he drops out after the first round. Rumour has it that he was an imbecile in the academy. But again, those rumours may be covering the truth. We'll see what fate shows us in the future. We need to crush Team Seven, no matter what."

* * *

 **Room 301**

Team Seven climbed the stairs until they reached the corridor where room 301 was. They were surprised that someone was waiting for them.

"Good luck guys. You better not disappoint," Kakashi said looking at his students as he stood close to the door. All the eyes of Team seven widened at the comment.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, seeing she was the topic of the conversation.

"To tell you the truth, these exams are rock hard," Kakashi answered her.

This only served to confuse the Genin more, especially Sakura. "But Sensei, you said we had a good chance of doing well," Sakura said.

Kakashi looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I did," he said.

"You lied?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi looked away and shrugged his shoulders again. "No. I don't lie... all the time. Just don't expect to breeze through this like you did for your Genin exams at the end of your Academy days. This is on a whole different level," Kakashi told her.

"Oh... Do you think we will become Chūnin?" she asked.

Kakashi sighed. "If I didn't, I would have stopped you from entering the exam," he answered while pointing his thumb behind at the door. "But all three of you came here on your own free will, and I always believed the moment we became a Team that you three will become great. Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto… Well done," Kakashi said with his trademark eye-smile. "I'm proud of the three of you. You're my team. Now go!"

Team seven nodded enthusiastically and opened the doors, Sakura and Sasuke pulled on the handles and moved forward with Naruto in the centre slightly behind. The team entered the large classroom, they stood together.

The other Genin from the different villages stared at the new Genin that entered. They tried to immediate them by leaking their killing intent. "What… is this?" Sakura said slightly shaking.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes whilst he stared at the other competition.

Naruto tried putting all his lessons from the last two and bit years, he made an expressionless face, showing that they had no effect on the blond Uzumaki.

He looked to see Sakura, who was nervous. Hands tightly together which were close to her chest. These exams will make her grow, hopefully make her grow into a strong kunoichi.

"Sasuke-kun, you're late!" a loud and high-pitch voice said. A blonde girl jumped and hugged Sasuke from behind. "I've been eagerly waiting for you ever since I heard that I could see you again for the first time in a very long time," The blonde girl said, revealing to be Ino.

Sakura grew tic marks and her worry completely disappeared. "Get away from Sasuke-kun! Ino-pig!" she shouted, pointing her finger at Ino.

Ino jumped off Sasuke, but still had her arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Oh my, is that you Sakura? It seems your forehead has gotten wider and you're still ugly… as per usual," Ino insulted, sticking out her tongue at the end.

Naruto looked at Sakura, and if looks could kill, Ino would be a bloody smear now. "What did you say?" Sakura aggressively said with clenched fists.

"Are you three taking this troublesome exam as well?" a bored voice asked.

Naruto recognized the voice immediately and walked past Sasuke and Ino, "Shikamaru!" he said happily and fist-bumped the Nara. "Chōji!" Naruto said with equal happiness in his voice, giving him a nod as Chōji was eating his snacks. "It's been ages since I've seen either of you," Naruto admitted sadly.

Shikamaru sighed. "I know. All these troublesome missions and training, it's too much," Shikamaru complained. "How's Aniki?" Shikamaru asked, leaning towards Naruto.

Chōji brought his ear closer to the conversation. "He's good. After that long mission, Jiji has been giving him high-rank but short time missions so he's home more often ttebayo. He's asked for a break during the whole Chūnin exam period!" Naruto said excitedly.

All three smiled at this, Naruto has been longing for some more quality time with his older brother. Shikamaru and Chōji wanted to see their Aniki badly.

"Look at what I found!" a brash voice said, coming closer to the group of six. Naruto turned his head to see Team eight approaching them, led by Inuzuka Kiba. "So, I see that everyone is here," he said with a grin.

Naruto looked at Kiba and saw his dog, Akamaru on his head. ' _Great Kiba the flee-bag is here…'_ he thought sourly. He looked to the left and saw Aburame Shino minding his own business. Naruto looked to the right and saw Hyuuga Hinata following Kiba.

"Hello…" Hinata stuttered out.

Naruto put his hands in his pockets and looked at Hinata. She noticed him and looked away to her side and had blush marks under her eyes. ' _Why does she keep doing that?'_ Naruto wondered.

"What? You guys came as well? Damn…" Shikamaru complained.

Naruto looked at his friend with a small smile, ' _I think Shikamaru rather be cloud-watching than doing any of this,'_ he thought.

"I see that all nine rookies this year are going to take the exam. So, how far do you think we can get… Sasuke-kun?" Kiba asked.

Ino raised her fist at Kiba but Sasuke grew a small smirk. "You seem to be confident, Kiba," Sasuke stated, looking at the ninken user.

Kiba but his hands on his hips. "We trained like hell. We won't lose to you," Kiba said with confidence.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked at Kiba with half-closed eyes. "Ya know, in the ninja world. Those who constantly talk about their skills are the weakest ttebayo. We won't lose to you."

"Shut up idiot!" Kiba shouted at Naruto, already losing his composure.

' _I see why other people speak like this. It annoys them as much it annoys me. I hate saying things like this though,'_ Naruto thought, knowing that making people feel bad about their skills is one thing he hates to do. But it is necessary, Kakashi taught him that.

However, these were the Chūnin exams. It's everyone against you.

"Hey, you guys. You should quiet down a little," an older boy said. He had silver hair done in a ponytail.

Naruto saw that he wore large circular glasses that had a black rim. He wore a purple high collar top with a white t-shirt underneath. He wore purple pants that reached his shins. Bandages covered the rest and he wore blue shinobi sandals. A white cloth was wrapped around his waist and he wore purple finger-less gloves. He wore his Konoha forehead protector on his forehead.

Naruto focused on the young man in front of him. He has never seen anyone like him before. He placed his doubt onto the shelf as he remembered there are many Genin in Konoha, and a lot of them are not participating in these exams.

"So, you're the nine rookies that just graduated from the academy, correct? Ah, you're all like tiny helpless kittens," the older boy said looking down at them.

"Who the hell are you to call us that?" Ino asked angrily.

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto. Look around you. The ones behind you are from Amegakure. They usually have a short temper. You can see, everyone is tense since the exam is about to start. I warned you, so you won't be picked on. I guess it can't be helped though, since you are just rookies who don't know anything. It makes me remember the old me," Kabuto said calmly.

"Kabuto-san, was it? Is this your second time then?" Sakura asked the older boy.

"No," he answered. "This is my seventh time," he told the group, shocking them. "This exam only takes place twice every year, and it's my fourth year."

"That means you know a lot about the exams then, right?" Sakura said with a happy face.

"Yes, I do," he replied with a smile.

"But you haven't passed it," Shikamaru pointed out.

Naruto nodded in agreement to his friend. "That means you failed during the first two exams each time. I've never seen you're name on the final roster," he said. "Should we be suprised if that doesn't happen again?"

Kabuto rubbed the back of his head because of embarrassment. "Yeah, that's true… We're all not like ninjas like the 'The Professor', 'The Crimson Leaf' or 'Itachi of the Sharingan' though hehe," he said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on the teenager in front of him. There was some strange vibe to him. Naruto was almost certain that he was looking between him and Sasuke when he referenced both their brothers. Naruto could see something deceitful hiding behind Kabuto's eyes.

Something was off about him. Naruto didn't like it one bit. Warning lights were going off. _'This guy is strong._ '

"Is the Chūnin exams that difficult? This is getting more troublesome," Shikamaru asked with a soured face.

"Maybe I should give my cute juniors some tips then with these information cards," Kabuto said.

"Information cards?" Sakura asked him, never hearing about them before.

"In simple terms, it's a card that has information burned into it with my chakra. I collected information on this exam for the last few years. There's nearly two hundred cards total. It looks white but to get the information from this card you need a little something special," Kabuto said.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked as she was watching the scene.

"It's made so that you can't view it without my chakra being flowed into it… like this," Kabuto said as he flowed chakra into the card. Smoke puffed out of the card, the map of the Mainland was revealed with more information on it.

"Wow, what information is that?" Sakura asked.

"The exam's total number of examinees and the countries that sent them. And it has the number of participants from each Hidden Village," Kabuto told them.

Naruto looked at the information closely. ' _A hundred and fifty-three people huh? That's… Fifty-one teams if the maths is right ttebayo. And the Villages are Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki, Konoha and what the hell is with that musical note...? A new Hidden Village?'_ Naruto thought, scanning the free information in front of him.

"Let me ask, why do you think we do the Chūnin exams together?" Kabuto asked but received nothing but silence. "First, it's to deepen the friendly relationships with the other countries. Next, it's to heighten the level of ninja. That is what the officials say," Kabuto said.

This gained Sasuke's attention. "This is what the officials say?" he asked.

"Yes, the real purpose is to confirm the level of the ninja in each adjacent country and to balance out the power," Kabuto said.

"Why do they go through such a troublesome task?" Shikamaru asked.

Kabuto swiped his hand over his card and the information vanished. "If they don't, the weak countries will be invaded and dominated by the strong ones. So, they need to check and restrain each other's power. It's just my guess though," he said while looking at Shikamaru. "It all sounds swell, but it never upholds for long. When something upsets the balance, all hell breaks loose. If you knew the history before the dawn of the Warring States, you would understand why."

Sasuke stepped forward. "Are there any cards that have any detailed personal information?" he asked.

"Yes," Kabuto simply replied. "Is there someone that interests you?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered. "Two people in fact."

"The information of this exam's participants is not perfect, but I've burned and saved them. They include the information of the nine of you as well," Kabuto said as he gathered the cards and stacked them. Tell me whatever you know about the people who interest you. And I'll look it up for you."

"Sabaku no Gaara of Suna, Rock Lee from Konoha," Sasuke told Kabuto.

"Oh, you know their names. This won't take long. Oh? Here we go," Kabuto said, looking at his cards.

"Sasuke, who the hell is this Gaara guy?" Naruto asked as he moved over to stand beside his friend. "Did you have a run-in?"

"Something like that. The guy gives off weird vibes, but I can tell, he's strong Naruto. Someone I want to fight. He should interest you as well. Rust hair, dead eyes and carries a gourd on his back," Sasuke said with intense eyes. "He's only our age but he was quiet as a Jōnin, like Kakashi. I need to find out more about him. You should too."

Kabuto placed the cards onto the floor, "Let's start with Rock Lee. He's one year older than you. He has done twenty D-rank missions and eleven C-rank missions. His sensei is Maito Gai. His taijutsu skills have improved dramatically but his other skills are terrible. He got everyone's attention last year as a skilled rookie Genin, but he didn't take the Chūnin exams. This is his first time taking them. Like you. He has two teammates, Hyuuga Neji and Tenten.

Now, let's see Gaara. He's done eight C-rank missions and… Wow. This is amazing. He did a B-rank mission as a Genin. He is a foreign ninja and it's his first time taking the exam, so I have very little information on him. However, it seems he has returned from all his missions unharmed," Kabuto said as he slid back his glasses.

The Genin were all surprised.

"He did a B-rank mission as a Genin and was unharmed?" Shikamaru said with shock. "What the hell!? That's insane. An experienced Chūnin would struggle to do something like that if the mission was full of fights."

"Just shows he's special," Naruto said. "But he's not the only one around here's whose special."

"This year, many talented Genin from the Hidden villages have come here to take the exam. There's a new village that has a team participating. Otogakure is a Hidden Village in a small country that was just recently made, so I don't have much information on them. Either way, all of them are powerful Hidden Villages," Kabuto said as he cleaned up his card deck.

"In other words, the examinees here are all…" Sakura said before being interrupted.

"Correct. It's not only Lee or Gaara. All the people here are the supposed top elite Genin chosen from each Hidden Village," Kabuto told the group.

Naruto started shaking with clenched fists, Sakura noticed and moved closer to him, "Naruto, there's no need to be scared."

When Naruto heard this, he laughed lightly. Everyone in the classroom saw him laughing, he was holding his stomach. "Excited more like! I just can't wait till these exams start," Naruto said loudly with a grin.

Naruto realised that everyone was glaring at him now, so he quieted down and looked at them all with his own glare. ' _How dare they ruin my fun!'_ he thought sourly. ' _If they're the top elite, then this is going to be a challenge. That, or this Kabuto guy is trying to scare us.'_

Sasuke smiled at the comment, he was feeling the same.

In the back of the classroom, there was loud whispering.

"Did you hear that? He said that Otogakure is a minor village of a small country," an Oto nin in a yellow shirt said. "It stings my heart so much!"

"Ow, my feelings," The male Oto nin covered with bandages and his fur coat said. "The pain won't go away. I think I'm already crying in the corner."

"You two, stop messing around. Let's play with them," The female Oto nin said to her team.

"Shut the fuck up Kin you loud bitch. They spoke as if we were leftover ninja. Let's make him add this to his data. Oto ninja can be somewhat cruel," The bandaged covered Oto ninja said.

The Oto ninja ran through the crowd of Genin. Once they reached close enough the rookies, the Oto ninja in the yellow top jumped into the air and threw two kunai at Kabuto. Kabuto jumped back and skidded on the floor. The bandaged ninja was in front of him now, showing that it was all an orchestrated move.

The bandaged ninja clenched his right fist and swung at Kabuto. His fist aimed towards the face. The sleeve that covered his arm was pulled back to reveal a huge gauntlet that covered the bandaged ninja's entire forearm. The rookies were shocked that someone attacked Kabuto.

Kabuto dodged with ease. The punch was too easy to read in everyone's eyes.

 **CRACK!**

Kabuto's glasses cracked, and little shards fell to the ground. Everyone in the room were watching the scene with interest. "I see, so that's the kind of attack it was," Kabuto said while he took off his glasses.

Sasuke walked up to him, "What's going on? You definitely dodged that," Sasuke said, he was shocked.

"It must have hit his nose. This is what happens for trying to look cool," Shikamaru said in an annoyed tone. "Loudmouth idiots. Reminds me of you in the past Naruto."

"Not right now Shikamaru. And it didn't touch him at all," Naruto said seriously. What the hell just happened!? ' _Was it a wind enhanced punch? But I didn't feel any wind chakra whatsoever. What the hell was that?'_

Kabuto fell to the ground and coughed up some blood. Everyone in the room were very confused apart from the Oto ninja. "You're not as good as I thought for a veteran. Yo, retard, why are you wearing glasses? Trying to look smart dumbass?" The bandaged Oto ninja asked.

"Write this on your damn card," The Oto ninja in the yellow shirt said. "The three from Otogakure will show what a real ninja is."

"QUIET DOWN YOU DAMN PUNKS!" a booming voice yelled. Everyone looked at the blackboard to see some smoke diffusing into the air. It revealed to be a hulking man wearing a bandanna forehead protector, his face was scarred. He wore a grey suit with a large black trench coat over it. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the head examiner of the first Chūnin exam. Morino Ibiki," he said in his loud deep voice.

The party was about to begin.

* * *

 **Jōnin Lounge**

Strolling and taking his sweet time, Kotero contemplated over recent events as he made his way towards the longue. He stopped once he saw Asuma and Kurenai enter his vision. Both were sitting beside each other close to the windows on the low couches.

Asuma waved at his friend once he saw Kotero walk over and sit across from him. Kurenai nodded and stared at Kotero.

"Lose your flak jacket?" she asked him, noticing that he only wore his black shinobi shirt and trousers.

Kotero laughed whilst shaking his head. "The weather is a bit too warm to be wearing that old thing. I'd love to go to the waterfall and have a splash around. You guys want to join?" he offered with a smile.

Asuma blew out smoke and narrowed his eyes on his friend. "Our students are taking their Chūnin exams. Naruto is taking his and you want to have fun in the waters!? Shouldn't you be even a little bit nervous?" he asked.

"Why should I be nervous if I know what the results are going to be? There's no point worrying. Naruto will pass," Kotero said with confidence. "What's with you Asuma? You're supposed to be the most relaxed."

"Sorry," Asuma said in a quick response. "Kurenai and I were talking and we got onto some heavy stuff."

"Heavy stuff? What the hell does that mean?"

Kurenai then coughed, making Kotero turn his eyes to her. "My team and I had trouble on our last mission. It did not go smoothly."

"And I was trying to comfort her, don't you see Kotero?" Asuma interjected.

' _Comfort her? Yeah, that was plain as day Asuma. You just want her to suck your... Nevermind.'_

Kotero sighed and leaned back. "I know the feeling. If only everyone mission can be as easy as picking flowers," he said with a wry smile. It soon mellowed. "What happened Kurenai?"

Kurenai leaned back to make herself more comfortable, crossing her arms over chest.

"We were in the fields putside of Konoha. We were picking wild berries as one of our missions. Of course I hated those kind of missions, so I didn't put much thought into my actions. Shino, Kiba and Hinata were talking and getting along. It was nice close to our evening. But then it all went downhill."

"Something happened," Kotero said. "Something to mess the peace."

"You're right Kotero-san. There was trade of sorts about a stone's throw away from Kiba and Akamaru. Blood rushed to his brain and he rushed in to fight the group. It turned out they were all former ninja from minor villages. We were far away from the village, and at that moment, we were so far that nefarious trades happened right under our noses."

"What happened to the kid? He obviously got out ok if he's doing the exams now."

Kurenai nodded. "Hinata and Shino came to their side and tried to help out. However, Hinata got caught between two of the former ninja. She quickly was put down to the ground with a knife to her throat. Shino's bug ninjutsu was nullified by one of the enemy. She was quite skilled with fire ninjutsu. Kiba had to dodge and dodge. There was no hope for them."

"Wow, imagine if you weren't there," Asuma said. "They would have died."

Kotero nodded in agreeement. "Thankfully they have someone skilled to take care of their asses."

Kurenai sighed heavily. "I was able to scare off the bandits. They were dealing something called Honey Rocks, I never heard of them before."

"It's a new form drug used for recreation, you smoke or snort it. A shady fellow offered me some when I was waiting for someone, but they called it 'crack'. All I know that it's made in the Land of Honey," Kotero interjected.

"How do you know all this?" Asuma had to ask. "Any question about narcotics and you just know nearly everything about it."

Kotero shrugged and wagged his finger. "I keep my sources secret. However Asuma, I'd advice you on one thing. Don't make the same mistake as I did and get something like this," he said as he showed a small gold coin with a club suit symbol on it before putting it away. "Once you're in, it's nearly impossible to get out."

Kurenai shook her head and continued on. "Even though I gave them harsher training leading up for this day, they haven't learnt from their mistakes. I'm afraid that it will happen again."

"And yet you sent them in anyway. Mixed messages are annoying Kurenai," Kotero said with narrowed eyes. "If they don't do well this time, they can always try in six months."

"Kotero, you shouldn't be saying stuff like that," Asuma spat out. "You don't have a team. They're like little siblings to us."

"So Asuma? It's the truth. If they fail, then they'll learn and grow stronger. It is the natural way of life. Or else they perish. Kurenai will see their weaknesses again, and her students will see how much it is affecting her, themselves and their teammates. What she did was right. We've all been there."

Kurenai nodded. Tilting her head, she looked at Kotero with curious eyes.

"What are Naruto-kun's weaknesses?" she asked directly.

The conversaton turned silent. It didn't last long until a new guest came.

"What are you guys talking about?" Kakashi asked as he moved over and sat beside Kotero, lounging back.

Kotero moved his heaed to Kakashi before moving it back to Kurenai, leaning in and then whispering. "He lets his morals and emotions sway his judgement. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. But in the end of the day, he is going to kill himself for some greater reason and that scares me more than anything else in the world."

Kurenai sat there with shock. The answer was chilling. It was brutal honesty. She knew for a fact that Kotero didn't lie, there was no hidden meaning behind his words.

"Kakashi, why'd you come to us? I thought you'd be reading your porn," Asuma said loudly, so the whole room could hear.

"Now that my cute little Genin are gone, it sure is boring," Kakashi droned out, not caring for the stares from the other Jōnin.

"We'll get busy soon enough," Asuma said sitting down on a couch, smoking his cigarette.

Kakashi turned to see Asuma. His eye's were dull from boredom. Kakashi could tell. "Really? Why do you say that?"

"This year's first examiner is Morino Ibiki," Asuma said. Asuma then butted out his cigarette on the ash tray. He took out a new one and lit it. "Kotero, Naruto ain't going to have a smooth ride either."

Kakashi yawned. "It seems that they're going to have more trouble than I thought."

"Ibiki? That crazy bastard is doing the first exam. I hope the kiddies don't freak out with him," Kotero said, picking out dirt from his nails. "Naruto will be fine Asuma. Wanna bet on it?"

Kakashi leaned forward on his seat. "I'd put money on that as well. But I wonder why the sadist chose to do the first exam anyway? He only did once before years ago."

"Sadist?" Kurenai asked. "Is he really that bad?"

"Kurenai," Asuma said, gaining her attention. "You're still a rookie Jōnin, so it's no wonder if you don't know yet."

"I've only heard a little about him," Kurenai asked, now interested. "What is he?"

"A pro," Kakashi answered vaguely.

"A pro? A pro at what?" Kurenai asked.

"A pro at fucking your mind Kurenai. I wouldn't be surprised if your Genin are crapping themselves after he said just a few words," Kotero told her with a laugh.

Asuma laughed at Kotero's words, he then looked at Kurenai. "Ibiki is a special man. He's a pro at torture and interrogation," he told her, getting a gasp from Kurenai. "Although there will be no physical torturing in the exams, thank God. Like what Kotero said, I'm sure the our Genin are feeling some mental stress through his interrogation skills."

"If you didn't know Kurenai," Kotero said, sitting up-right. "He's the best of the best. He is Konoha's ANBU's torture and interrogation squad leader, a man licensed to fuck you up mentally and physically.

* * *

 **Capital of Fire, Underground Society**

The sun was shining. Deep within the city, there was a grand building. The furniture was lavish. Aged sake and high-quality cuisine was on the table. A pair of delicate hands handled the food with chopsticks.

There was a knock from outside the room.

"Come in," a feminine but stern voice said.

The door slid open. A man wearing a civilian attire bowed from the entrance.

"What is it Yuuto? Why disturb me while I'm eating lunch?" the woman asked. She flicked her ponytail. The long, white hair radiated with the sun. Her blue eyes were deep and cold.

"The High Courts have new gold coins in circulation. One ounce coins made from solid gold with the print of a love heart on it. Of course the Four King's symbols on the other side. Also Hearts-sama, please forgive me, but we have confirmation that the Konoha Chūnin exams will commence soon, like you asked for. Will you want to attend the finals?" Yuuto asked.

Hearts, the female crime lord, a "King", and information broker residing in the Land of Fire tapped her chin. A very mysterious and beautiful woman. Known to kill in an instant and torture for an eternity. She grinned like a child.

"Of course! And there's a certain someone I want to meet again. But… I don't know if he'll want to see me there," she said. There was pout on her face. She was truly thinking about it. "Thank you for telling me about the gold coins."

"A certain someone? Who would that be?" Yuuto asked.

"A certain Redhead. And Yuuto, just because you're my second-in-command, don't you think you get to know all about my personal life," Hearts said with furrowed brows.

Yuuto sighs. His leader was moody at the moment. "Of course, Hearts-sama. I will organise the tickets and accommodation as soon as possible."

Hearts smiled deeply. "Good, I can't wait! A month's time huh…"

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

"Now, about the Kyūbi and its Jinchūriki. What do we know?" a deep voice asked. A hologram image stood on a stone finger. The voice was deep. Purple rippled eyes scanned the surroundings.

"He is the second youngest host. It is dated information, but we know that the host has been held-back, and the village scorned him. No evidence of actual abuse, which is uncertain, only complete neglect. This can suggest a Jinchūriki with low intelligence and skill," a woman with blue hair said. Her appearance was also in the form of a hologram.

"Leader-sama. The Jinchūriki may have low skill but my former… comrades are dangerous. It would be unwise to go in without a plan," a man with swirling red eyes said.

"Ah come on. There's two of them in the same village. Let's go in and slaughter them all!" a crazed man said.

"Shut up Hidan! Idiots should have no say in these discussions," a man with red and green eyes said. His voice was deep.

"Ah! Shut up you shit! Jeez, I hate you so fucking much!"

"Hidan! Kakuzu! Quiet! This is not the time to act like children. Thank you, Konan, Itachi. With the Chūnin exams, the Jōnin and Chūnin will stay in the village. The Ichibi Jinchūriki is already in Konoha. This is too dangerous of a situation to try to retrieve either. Only I would succeed. However, it is too early for me to be known. Kisame, Itachi."

"Yes Leader-sama," both men answered.

"After the exams. Go to Konoha and retrieve the Kyūbi. He is essential to our plan and the village is doing us a great favour by hampering the Jinchūriki's skill," the leader ordered.

"Of course, Leader-sama."

"The hologramed leader hummed. "Our plan will finally begin. It is time this world has to change, it is dirty. This world is wrong."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**

 **The wheels of time are turning, what will we see in the future?**


	14. Chapter 14 - Backfire

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 14 - Backfire**

"This is a test where we will weed out the incompetent ninja. The ninja that think they are already the best. Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the head examiner of the first Chūnin Exam. Morino Ibiki," he said in his loud deep voice. His lips turned into a smile. Ibiki was already enjoying the show.

Everyone in the room had a cold sweat run down their back once the huge man and his subordinates came into the room. Ibiki pointed his finger to where the troublemakers were.

"Make a mess again and I'll throw you out you shitheads. Now! Get into your groups and stand in a nice straight line you little pieces of scum!" Ibiki ordered. His words were harsh.

Ibiki's entrance made the room deadly quiet. So quiet in fact that it was possible to hear a pin drop.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke swiftly stood shoulder to shoulder in a neat formation. The other groups also did this and waited until Ibiki's frown turned upside down. Yet the man's smile didn't give Naruto any confidence to an enjoyable first exam.

"Now this is what I like to see. Yes, I can get used to this." His body language calmed down from his previous show of rage. Moving his hand to under his chin, he walked and looked at the groups in further detail.

"There are a lot of you young punks in this one. I won't lie. This doesn't make me happy." Ibiki's truth made Naruto gulp.

Not wasting the opportunity, Ibiki moved in and closed the distance between him and Naruto. Their noses were only inches apart.

"A little blond welp has come to my den. Answer this, are you going to get eaten alive?" he then asked.

Naruto breathed in deeply, his heart was pulsing. His hands were clammy. But he knew he was ready. He was going to kick this test's ass and become the Hokage someday. This is only going to be one step on the way.

A smile formed. His blue eyes had a clear focus within them.

"No. I'm going to beat you," Naruto said, a cheeky grin glowed with his words. He was fond of his new-found confidence.

Ibiki pulled his head back with a smirk planted on his face.

"Ha! That confidence. All so familiar blond welp. Don't fail and make me lose the little respect I have for you now." Ibiki then turned heel and walked whilst inspecting the other groups.

"Naruto, you shouldn't provoke him! What if he failed you on the spot!" Sakura said with grit.

"Sakura," Sasuke said, surprising his fellow two team members. "Follow Naruto's lead. We will beat this and become Chūnin."

"Sasuke-kun…"

Ibiki walked back to the chalkboard and clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention, despite the fact that everyone's eyes were already glued to his actions.

"Usually, the first test is some gimmick test. I was planning on a written exam, but then I remembered that the quality of the Chūnin coming out from the last five years have been of sub-par quality. As a proud ninja of my village, I cannot have that. And neither will your respective foreign villages. Therefore, I have a test that will truly test your skills."

The news was quite alarming to all genin inside the large hall. However, some were quite relieved.

"This is good news," Sasuke said while combing his fingers through his hair.

"Why Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with brimmed curiosity.

"Naruto can't do written exams if his life depended on it."

Naruto chuckled and then cracked his knuckles. "Hehehe, I suppose you're right Sasuke," he said with a giggle. "But I think I'd still do better than you. All you know is 'Fireball this' and 'Fireball that' with those little doodles of yours to boot."

Sasuke narrowed her eyes at Naruto for the blatant insult. Sasuke just shook his head and then refocused on the topic at hand.

The banter within the group was alive and well.

"Shhhh!" Ino hissed at group seven with her finger covering her lips.

Naruto turned his eyes from her back to Ibiki, to see him glaring his cold eyes right at him. The sight was unnerving.

"Let me give you a brief description on the test your groups will have. All of you are already formed in a team of three members. You will be given a slip of paper with a number on it. Whoever has one will go first, two will go second and this will go on until there are no more groups left," Ibiki explained to the large audience. "You will then leave this hall and go to the testing rooms where your test will begin. Any questions?"

Sakura put up her hand and took one step forward. Sakura was ready to speak once she saw Ibiki's nod of the head.

"What exactly is our test? You barely told us any information." Her words were true. As of that moment, all the teams were going in blind.

Ibiki grunted loudly and pointed to the blackboard, where the word 'TEST' was written on it in white chalk.

"You're not supposed to know what is on this test. Ninja are experts at adapting to any situation. This is only one aspect that we will be grading you on. Now, seems like there are no other questions. My helpers will be giving out the numbers. Take it and protect it with your life," Ibiki shouted at the end with heavy words.

As the Chūnin instructors distributed the pieces of paper, they were kept in envelopes. Thus, making it impossible to know which numbers were which.

Sakura took and thanked the instructor who gave Team Seven said envelope and opened it immediately. The sight of the number gave the group chills. An unfortunate result of probability.

"Of course, we were going to be first," Naruto said. His heartbeat started to go faster. He never liked these kinds of tests. It didn't help that it was in the academy where he struggled with learning for so long. "Must be bad luck."

"Or, it show the rest that we are cut from a different cloth." Sasuke's words were full of confidence. "And we don't have to wait. Aren't you excited, Naruto?"

Naruto clicked his fingers to calm himself down. He was letting the environment get to him too easily. The genin that surround him didn't affect him in the slightest bar one. Gaara no Sabaku. Yet it wasn't the Suna ninja that was making Naruto nervy.

It was that damn instructor, Ibiki. His tall figure, black trench coat and very square scarred jaw, the man was the embodiment of intimidating. His overall aura was affecting Naruto's emotions.

' _I need to stop feeling these other feelings._ _It's only going to be bad for me if I can't control it!'_ he thought.

With a nod, Naruto formed a grin and looked right back to Sasuke. "I am excited. Too excited."

Sakura was still astonished on the growth of friendship that she saw between Naruto and Sasuke. Still amazed that these two were literally at each other's throats are now comforting one another. All she wondered is why she couldn't have this rapport with Sasuke, and Naruto somewhat.

"Groups with one to one to ten go through the hall door and go to the small classrooms labelled from A to J in the same ascending order. You will find out your groups' test when you enter the classrooms. Depending on your performances, you will either pass or fail," Ibiki stated. "Now one to ten, follow me to the testing rooms."

Team Seven didn't waste any time and followed Ibiki's lead. In front, by their sides and behind were groups from their own and foreign villages. None of them were recognisable.

Naruto and his friends left the bleak hall that was room 301 and entered a hallway that was filled with posters put up on yellow green stained walls. The dark floorboards and white ceiling were great contrasts to the walls.

Chūnin instructors lead the groups who held numbers two to ten further down the hall. Ibiki stayed behind and looked down at the three genin in front of him.

"Bad luck seems to follow you around," Ibiki said, staring down at Naruto. "I'm going to give you the hardest test. Let's see if you're actually worthy of being a ninja of our proud village."

Ibiki opened the door in front of him and entered the room. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had to wait outside. And the wait was killing them all inside.

"Naruto, you better not ruin this for us." Sakura's words were serious. "He seems to focus on you. Did you piss his off in the past?"

Naruto laughed. "I was going to say the same thing to you," he said, sticking out his tongue afterwards. "No. He's seeing if I'm all talk or not."

Sakura raised her fist in her anger, but she didn't act on it. Sasuke shook his head. She always went with his judgement more than her own. Most times, his words were law to her.

They team had to wait for a total of three minutes before the door slid open, only for Ibiki to pop his head out. He didn't say a word, all he did was bring it back in.

The door remained open. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke walked inside, closing the it behind them.

Naruto scanned the room immediately. It was mostly empty. In front of him was a table with a pile of papers, the top page had a photo portrait of a man. Beside the stack of sheets were multiple items. One was a blunt object that was covered in blood. There was also a pale rope, a bag filled with white powder and a card with lip imprints. The trace of a heart enclosed the red lips.

The other items that filled the table appeared to be mostly random objects that you would normally find in some shop or home. There must have been some reason on why all these items were gathered together.

On the other side of the room were two men tied up to wooden chairs behind another table. Their faces expressed little emotion.

The strangest thing Naruto noticed however was the table by the window. Underneath a cloth, something large was hiding under it.

Ibiki walked to the centre of the room, clapping his hands with a loud bang, he gathered all of Team Seven's attention.

"This is going to be your test. Do you have any idea what it is?" he asked.

The dumbfounded faces of the Genin made Ibiki sigh. "Alright, guess I got to explain it all to you. Follow me."

Ibiki walked over towards to the table covered in cloth, with Team Seven following his footsteps. Whipping off the cloth, it revealed a dummy model with a hat that one would see on a Daimyō's head. There were multiple fake wounds all over the dummy. The bloodstains were realistic to the eye, and the pseudo muscle that made up the dummy was impressive.

"This dummy is going to represent our murder victim. This test is all about finding out who killed him, how did he die and for what reason. You as a team will need to read through the information, examine the evidence provided on the table and interrogate the two main suspects over there. This test is to see how well you gather information and use it to reach your objective," Ibiki explained.

"What will happen if we get the wrong suspect?" Sakura asked with her uneasy voice. This unorthodox test was making her anxious.

"The victim is going to be the Daimyō of some great country who was hosting a banquet. He was assassinated, and the evidence is there to be seen. Getting the wrong suspect or getting your facts wrong can lead to catastrophic consequences. Thus, if you fail don't determine the manner of the kill, you will fail and will have to wait for your next Chūnin exam. And here's the best part, these are only the main suspects. Suspects… which means that these two could be completely innocent."

The answer only added to Sakura's anxiousness. She wished it was the written exam that Ibiki had planned on. She knew she would've aced it. But this was a whole different kind of test she never had to do.

All she was hoping for was that Naruto and Sasuke had some inclination on how to proceed. She didn't want to fail, and she knew as if it was the absolute truth that the two boys in front of her would hate if they failed.

"As you are hoping to be promoted to be Chūnin at the end of these exams, you need to be treated as such. Chūnin and Jōnin on missions don't have the choice to take their time. One of our own ninja solved a murder case in the Land of Fire's Capital by starting out with only one clue. One clue is nearly nothing when it comes to those types of missions.

"There was another Jōnin where he stopped an assassination by noticing one small error in different pieces of information. The one who stopped the assassination was your Sensei, Kakashi. These two would be ninja that are very quick thinkers despite some of their mannerisms. This ability to think and depict crucial information is required if you want to advance in ranks."

The members of Team Seven looked at each other with surprise written all over their faces. Their Sensei, Kakashi, stopped an assassination because of one little mistake from the assassins. They knew Kakashi was strong and smart, but this just cemented it even further.

"You three will have half an hour to solve this case. If you play your cards right and crack the case, then you will move onto the next stage. Good luck." Ibiki moved from the table and walked over to a wooden chair that was residing in the corner of the room. Taking out a notepad and pen, he sat down and focused his eyes on the Genin. "You may begin."

Naruto turned to Sakura with a question on the tip of his tongue. "What's the plan?" he asked.

Sakura gasped in shock. She didn't expect Naruto to ask for directions. A surprise as she thought he didn't have a high opinion of her.

"Sakura, answer Naruto. What's the plan?" Sasuke jumped in. His cool confidence was showing. "We don't have much time."

Feeling the lack of time creep over her, Sakura thought hard and thought quick.

"Naruto, you look at the body and the items on the table. Try and find out how the Daimyō died and with what. Sasuke-kun and I will read through the reports on the supposed events and on the two suspects. We'll join together once we're all done and make questions to ask them. Are you two okay with that?" Sakura asked with hesistation.

Both Naruto and Sasuke nodded and got to work in an instant. Sakura was watching them bewildered. They took the order, there were no complaints. They must have thought it was a good plan.

Noticing that she was wasting time, Sakura moved to the reports and started reading as fast as she could. Seeing that Naruto was looking at every detail of the dead dummy, and Sasuke was reading with his Sharingan activated, she knew she couldn't let the team down.

In the corner, Ibiki formed a small grin and wrote down some notes. "Impressive teamwork. Let's see if they can actually solve the puzzle."

* * *

 **Jōnin Lounge**

"The tests can't be that hard right?" Kurenai asked further. "They're only Genin."

"Yeah, but they're Genin trying to become Chūnin. He will do what is necessary. Even if it means getting into their heads," Kotero said to her.

"See Kurenai, Ibiki is someone that understands human psychology as if it was a simple math sum. And the scariest part about him is that he can drive a person to a corner mentally, control their mind and bully them. He can find a person's weakness and bring it to the surface," Asuma told Kurenai.

Kotero and Kakashi nodded in agreement. "That's why you don't to ever make Ibiki mad. I've helped him once with an interrogation on one of my mission targets ages ago. Hokage-sama sent me on an A-rank mission sometime last year to capture this guy so he can spill information. He had information on the Capital's garrison numbers.

"Ibiki… the man is cruel once he puts his gloves on. Broke the man like a twig mentally in less than a day. Thank goodness he likes me, we get along great!" Kotero said as he drank some water.

Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi could only gulp and worry for her students.

Kotero started to laugh, breaking the awkward silence. He calmed down and buddied up to Kakashi. "Hey, Kakashi. Have you heard the news about the Western Continent of the Mainland?" he asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I haven't at all," he said.

Kotero pouted, he then got off his seat and looked outside the window. "There's been a couple of revolts happening in the Lands of Fangs and Claws are having some trouble. There seems to be something, or someone pulling the strings behind the scenes," he said. "I wonder where it will lead."

Kakashi sighed. "I have no idea," he said. "The Western Continent of the Mainland has always been ravaged by terrible wars. The people are poor, there is always a famine or drought somewhere in one of those countries. There are so many of them, and they're all small so all they do is fight with each other."

Asuma and Kurenai listened intently. Events that happen around the world are always interesting.

Kotero laughed as he watched the birds sing on the nearby trees. "Yeah, past the Lands of Earth and Wind, there's no real ninja village to balance the power. It seems that someone is taking the opportunity and orchestrating something big. Maybe to establish their own country?"

"Who knows," Kakashi said. "Who knows."

Asuma sighed and stood up. "It's time to bounce. Kurenai, you wanna come with? I'm thinking of going and getting a drink at the bar," he asked her.

Kurenai shook her head. "No, I have better things to be doing. See all of you later," she said as she left.

"Fuck man," Asuma whimpered out.

Kotero laughed lightly and smacked Asuma's backside. "Don't worry man. There's chemistry, not much... but it's a start. Go get 'em tiger," he encouraged.

"Shut the hell up Kotero," Asuma said in a huff with his departure.

Flabbergasted, Kotero turned his head to Kakashi who only shrugged in response.

* * *

 **Test Room**

As time went on, more and more clues were revealed to Team Seven as the investigated the evidence. Yet, as the more they learnt, the pressure grew. It was running out.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke gathered together and whispered to each other. Ibiki and the two suspects watched closely but they couldn't hear a single word. The Genin were smart with their communicational approach.

"Six minutes remaining. I have yet to hear a single question asked to the suspects." Ibiki's words were cold.

Naruto turned his head, the corner of his eyes watched Ibiki still write short notes into his notepad. What the hell could that man be writing about? Was he grading them on their approach on this case?

He didn't know and right now Naruto didn't care. They had to solve the case to have any chance in progressing onto the next stage.

"I'll do the asking. Sasuke-kun, you watch them with your Sharingan. Naruto, stay behind and see if they're lying or not," Sakura declared.

The two boys nodded in agreement and moved their places. Sakura walked and sat in front of the two suspects.

Naruto watched them with careful eyes. He knew this was all a test as the suspects were two of Ibiki's underlings, two of the Chūnin Examiners. But these two men wore grey probably rehearsed being suspects, and one of them as the murderer. How was he going to determine which one was the murderer?

This was going to be Naruto's test and he was going to make sure he comes out with an A+.

Before beginning, Sakura was uncertain. "How we supposed to ask for information if they're both here?" she asked, her eyes aiming at Ibiki.

Ibiki scratched his chin with narrowed eyes. "Out on the field, you won't have the luxury of interrogation rooms. You have to do your best with what's in front of you. I didn't lie in saying this is the hardest test."

Naruto flexed his neck, cracking his knuckles in the loud process. His veins were pumping. "As if that'll stop us. Come on, let's do this, guys," he said with confidence.

Sakura and Sasuke grew smirks of their own and got ready for the closing moments of their test.

"Suspect one, tell us your alibi please," Sakura asked, her tone of voice was stern. All to familiar to Naruto's ears.

The Chūnin examiner rolled back his shoulders, relaxing on his chair whilst spreading himself out. "I was enjoying food at the tables. Talking to some of the guards as we were doing rounds. I wasn't supposed to take the food, but it looked so good that I took a bite. I don't regret a thing."

Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke leaned over the table with his eyes staring with great concentration. "We don't want to know if you liked the food or not. We only want to know the important facts."

Both suspects were taken aback from the instantaneous hostility. Naruto knew he had to calm things down at that moment. Sakura wouldn't dare to even try to undermine Sasuke.

"What's your story?" Naruto's question was aimed straight for the other suspect, who was played by another Chūnin instructor.

Naruto's smile threw the instructor off. The juxtaposition of Naruto being nice and Sasuke mean was all too similar to the age-old tactic of "Good cop, Bad cop".

The second suspect sat up straight with good posture. He coughed before he spoke. His long fringe covered his right eye, only showing his brown left eye.

"I was protecting the late Daimyō. I stood at my positions for the whole duration of the party. I have failed my lord." The man's demeanour was full of shame. A sullen voice was all Team Seven could hear.

Ibiki trained him well to be a believable actor. The genin could tell.

Naruto logged that to the back of his head. If he wanted to deceive anyone in the future, he would need to become a better actor. His performance with the bartender in the Land of Waves was not up to par anymore.

"And yours?" Naruto's stared deeply into the other examiner's eyes. He always confessed the truth whenever a hard stare was put on him from either Hiruzen or his older brother. Surely the same would happen here, so he thought.

"Apart from taking a snack here and there, I was standing guard in the hall, making sure no person could come attack the Daimyō. My eyes were on him the whole time. I was ready to protect his back from any danger. Before I knew it, my lord was dead, and I have failed." His words were filled with certainty. His head wasn't shiny because he was nervous, only because the man was bald.

"This isn't getting us anywhere. From the information in the notes, these two are telling the truth." Sakura said with exasperation. "There must be something we're missing."

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Sasuke's question was accompanied with a Sharingan glare, the tomoe marks spinning in entrancing circles.

The two examiners blew out large sighs and shook their heads. Naruto ticked his tongue in annoyance. They were smart cookies, keeping their trap shut so not to let anything loose. Even the slightest clue could lead to their demise.

' _It has to be one of them, yet they both are acting the exact same way. Why!?'_ Naruto's thoughts were running rampant. He didn't want to fail. He certainly didn't want to disappoint his older brother. He knew he had to figure this out.

Skimming through the notes that were on the table, Naruto went to the security detail. The clue had to be in the pages.

Flipping the long edges of the paper, it led him to the times of all the guards, and the plans of their positions.

"When did the guy die?" Naruto asked bluntly as he scanned the information.

"You mean the Daimyō? I He passed away in his bedroom's bathroom at quarter to eleven. He was found on the seat," Sakura told him. "You should be clearer on what you're asking."

"Naruto, what was the autopsy?" Sasuke asked with his hands clenching slightly.

"Three minutes left." Ibiki's loud words echoed through the room. "Three minutes left until you pass or fail."

' _Come on! We're gonna fail if we keep this up!'_

"The Daimyō died due to excessive blood loss."

"Is there anything that was out of the ordinary?" Sasuke further asked.

Naruto walked backwards to the dummy and glanced at the body. Turning to the autopsy report, he read between the words and the evidence.

"Now that you mention it, the victim has five stab wounds to the abdomen. Yet there is rope burn found below the head, most of it found on the throat and very little to none found on the neck," Naruto said with thought. "Oh, that makes things different..."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. "It just means there was a struggle and-"

Naruto shushed her and stepped forward, putting his foot down and slamming his hand onto the table. An aggressive tactic was being played. His eyes planted on the long-haired suspect.

"You said you were there to always protect the Daimyō's back, yet clearly he was being held against his will with rope from behind. How did you not see this happen?" Naruto asked with grit. "If you were guarding the Daimyō, you should have seen it."

The examiner didn't answer straight away, much to Team Seven's annoyance.

"Naruto, where are you going with this line of questioning?" Sakura had to ask.

Naruto moved away from the table and looked at his teammates. "Let me ask you two guys this, why are there stab wounds and rope burn? Why both?"

"To kill the Daimyō obviously," Sakura answered. "Now that you mention it, a person can't die from being strangulated and also blood loss."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "The Daimyō was strangled, and while struggling, he was stabbed multiple times. The killers ran away from the scene afterwards."

"Makes sense. All the stab wounds were bunched together at the abdomen. Probably a fast kill that was out of control," Naruto added on.

"But that wasn't the murder weapon," Sakura piped out. "Wasn't it that small statue on the table covered in blood?"

"I don't think so. The victim would have trauma to the skull, and Naruto would have told us." Sasuke looked back at the body, shaking his head in the process. "This puzzle is tough to solve. Just what I expected from these Chūnin exams."

"There was nothing around the head, just the rope burn mark around the throat. This is getting deep. Tell us now, can people from the banquet go to the Daimyō's quarters?" Naruto asked the two suspects.

Neither suspect said a thing. Neither moved from their spots.

"Playing hard to get?" Naruto growled. "It'll be better for all of us if you get your head out of your ass and cooperate. Did anyone go into the Daimyō's quarters with him?"

The two suspects narrowed their eyes on Naruto with a cold glare. Naruto's focus was high, he could feel it all in the air.

"No," answered the bald suspect. His tone was deep yet had little emotion to it.

The long haired suspect didn't add anything to the answer.

"Less than a minute left."

All three of the Genin wished Ibiki would keep his mouth shut tight. His harbouring words only added to the pressure that laid on their shoulders. Time was ticking.

"They're not telling the full story. I can sense it," Naruto said in a hiss. Time was running out.

Sasuke scanned the two suspects once again with his activated Sharingan. "They're not. They're lying."

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked with tensions growing.

Sasuke cleared his throat before speaking in his ever so serious tone.

"Because there could be no other option. These two were off their posts at the time of murder. Both are trained in the use of bladed weapons. The Daimyō is usually accompanied by multiple guards. We know he was assassinated Naruto stated that the autopsy to us, and there was a calling card found on his body, one with a heart shape on it. The bag of the drug substance, "magic snow", was found near the body as well. This is a kill for payment"

"Sasuke-kun? Are you sure?"

"Sakura, have faith in Sasuke. He can right every now and then."

"Naruto! Why-"

Naruto put his finger to his lip. Giving a wink to Sakura, she quieted down because of the series of little shocks.

"We know what happened. The Daimyō was assassinated by two people in a struggle because there was a hit put on his head from a major criminal player, probably a drug lord." Naruto walked over to the table and quickly grabbed the card and bag, returning, he threw them on the table with a mighty glare aimed straight back at the two suspects. "You two coordinated the murder once the Daimyō was at his most vulnerable. A drunken fool needing to drain his dragon. Your attack didn't go according to plan and you had to use the rope to restrain while the other stabbed him. Am I right?"

The two suspects shifted uncomfortably.

"We're not saying anything."

Sakura's eyes sparkled at the reaction. It was becoming more and more obvious. "Naruto and Sasuke-kun are onto something right. We're on the correct track. We have to ask more quest-"

 **Clap! Clap! Clap!**

"Time's up. The show is over."

Team Seven turned their heads to see Ibiki closing the distance between them, slowly clapping in the process.

"Let me ask you something before I disclose the results. Girl… Sakura was your name? Do you agree with what your partners did? Do you trust their conclusions?" he asked as he stood only a few inches away from here. Completely towering over, making Sakura shake in her shoes.

Gulping loudly, Sakura nodded slowly, then rapidly. "Yes… For what we have… it makes sense."

Ibiki stared down at Sakura's eyes, noticing the fear embedded in the deep green.

"Creating a conclusion and going along with it without discovering the whole truth can lead to your demise. It can lead to this," Ibiki whispered as he pulled off his bandanna, displaying his scars, his trophies of loyalty.

All three of the Genin's, especially Sakura, turned to a ghastly pale. The burn scars painted a horrifying picture.

A picture truly paints a thousand words.

"So, I'll ask again," Ibiki said, his tone never changing, "do you agree with what your partners did? With their conclusion that they mostly pieced together?"

Sakura clenched her fist. Digging deep, she grabbed whatever spirit she could muster, using it to show her confidence in her team's performance.

"I do!"

What felt like an era was only five seconds. Ibiki's straight lips turned into a wry smile. "That answer had a bite to it. I like that. Now let me get to the results."

Team Seven's heartbeats all started to go a little faster. Did they pass or did they fail?

"You, as in the team, didn't solve the case fully."

The feeling of shame and disappointment washed over the Genin. They tried so hard, yet they didn't reach the finish line.

"However, surprisingly, you solved most of the main mysteries. And I was impressed with all of your performances. The welp was good at his questioning and picking out the fine details from the evidence. Sasuke, you had a good eye on how the two suspects acted. Their behaviour was a key element of this test. You performed well. And Sakura, although you didn't discover as much as the two boys, you did the most important task. You laid down the groundwork and gave the team direction."

Smiles crept on both Naruto and Sakura's faces. Sasuke even let his lip turn into a happy curve. Has the tables turned?

"You acted as Chūnin. Seems like Kakashi taught you well. Or you three have innate talent, talent that will make you important cogs for the machine that is Konoha. Go to the waiting room where the successful candidates go to. You three earned it."

The three were gobsmacked. Ibiki wasn't being deceiving. He really meant what he said.

Walking out of the silent room, the three walked side-by-side until they reached the end of the corridor, where it led to the room where the successful teams went and rested whilst they waited for the news on the second exam.

Not wasting time, Naruto opened the door, and was surprised. There was nobody there. Just him and his teammates.

"We took the full thirty minutes. That means everyone else failed," Sasuke pointed out.

"Just shows the difference in level." Naruto moved towards the windows and sat on the sill. Letting the early morning sun hit his back. "This is a victory. Well done Team Seven," he cheered with a happy smile.

Naruto's bright face further illuminated the room. But there was one person radiating a grey dull.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Naruto asked with concern laced in his voice.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, her face showed uncertainty. "You guys did all the work. I don't deserve to be here…"

Naruto bit his lip. What the hell does he have to say to make her feel energetic and confident? Anything he would say would either make her mad or feel worse.

"Hn."

Naruto turned to the grunt, what usually is an annoyance is now a saviour. Whatever Sasuke will say, it will be gold. That's the effect that Sasuke has over Sakura, and some of the others.

Naruto was jealous of it. He wanted that. Is it respect, or was it the fact that so many of his fellow genin naturally place confidence in him? Family clan and his hard-worked skills, these were probably the reasons on why.

But Naruto had these as well. Yet his past actions, his old pranks and previous bad performances painted a bad picture for his name.

"We would have failed without you Sakura. You're an important part of the team."

Naruto watched the complete flip of emotions on Sakura's face. Her cheeks blushed red from the compliment. He was happy, but inside he grew jealous. All he knew was that his time will come, these exams are only a steppingstone for his dream of becoming the Hokage.

Six words made all the difference.

* * *

 **Jōnin Longue**

"It shouldn't be a surprise that there's so much conflict on the other side of the continent. It's full of chaos and war, and there are many different cultures there. Much different from ours."

"And because of that, we do nothing with them. Probably for the best."

"What're you two talking about?"

Turning his head back, Kotero saw Anko rest close to the window.

"Well, if it isn't Anko. Kakashi and I were just chatting," he said as he patted Kakashi's right shoulder. "It was a nice chat, wasn't it?"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Yeah... You're going to have to tell more about those Blood-Riders of the West. I'm heading out to get some air."

"Yeah… Come by tonight for dinner Kakashi. My door is always open for friends," Kotero offered as he stood up. Cracking his back, he threw Kakashi a smile.

"I'll think about it." Kakashi walked towards the window. Moving his lone eye to Anko, he said the words, "Don't do anything funny to him. He's on edge since his little guy is in the big bad Chūnin exams."

Anko snorted a short laugh and got off the wall. "Then why don't I help take off the edge then. See you Kakashi."

Kakashi gave a wave goodbye to the two and jumped out of the window with pace.

"I'm not on edge, he's just pulling your leg." Kotero stretched his arms as his closed the distance between him and Anko. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Trying to get out and about. A girl like me can't stay still unless… you know there's something sweet in my mouth." Anko's words made her salivate.

The image was off-putting, enough to make Kotero move towards the window himself. "Come on, we'll go and get some dango. My treat."

Anko smiled at the offer and followed the man out of the window. Landing swiftly and catching up to him, the two walked side-by-side as the streets of Konoha filled with the local people.

All of them had happy faces and voices.

"This is nice."

Anko turned her head to Kotero who was staring off into space, watching the people chat away without any worry. "Strange that you point it out. Something on your mind Kotero?" she asked.

There was no immediate response, which annoyed the young woman immensely. She liked to annoy others, not the other way around.

"When the mood in the air is positive, it's hard not to flow into it. You know what I mean?" Kotero asked with a small smile. "Like… when everyone is happy, you have to be happy as well."

"You're saying some weird stuff man. I thought you were just treating me to dango. This isn't part of the deal," Anko said with narrowed brows. "I take it we're going to Granny's Garden Teahouse for the dango? You like the little pond there."

"Taking notes are we Anko?" Kotero said with surprise. "Seems like you get all attentive when it comes to these things I suppose. Yeah, we're there now. I'll order a plate for each of us. My treat?"

"You're the best Kotero," Anko responded with a sickly sweet voice, accompanied with her sweet smile.

As Kotero pulled the flap to enter the shop, a Chūnin wearing a grey overall outfit appeared at their feet. His bandanna and dull glasses obscured any facial details.

"You're one of Ibiki's helpers," Kotero pointed out as he walked back outside. "Is there a reason you're here now?" he asked his stern voice.

The Chūnin nodded and looked up to Anko. "Yes! Mitarashi-san is late. She is in charge of the second exam for the Chūnin exams and all the participants are waiting for her. Morino-san ordered me to find her," he stated clearly.

Kotero leaned his head back, his bit his lower lip and his eyes were scowled. He saw Anko covering her face with her hands.

"Shit! I forgot about that. I got all distracted." Anko stomped her foot hard in the ground, scaring the Chūnin in front. "Leave, I'll be there in a few minutes."

The Chūnin nodded and left as quickly as he came.

"How long will you be?" Kotero's words were quick and piercing. "I'm hungry for a snack and I don't want to wait for too long," he said.

"A few hours. That's the most I'll need. I can meet up for lunch at three or four."

Kotero nodded and moved to the nearby bench. "Then I'll have some tea as I wait for you. If you see Naruto, make sure he knows I'm rooting for him."

Anko smirked as she turned heel. "You that confident that he passed the first exam? That's cocky of you Kotero."

"If I'm not, then what kind of brother would I be?"

* * *

 **Later that Day**

Watching as the fish play and swim in the shallow pond, Kotero chewed on the sticky remains of the dango. He was at peace.

Him being alone gave him time to reflect.

"Where the hell am I going?" he asked himself. The question has been on his mind for some time now. He's set out what he wanted to do, he found family and now is living in Konoha. He knows he wants a wife and children, but that is for the future, he doesn't want kids before he even reaches twenty.

As of that moment, Kotero was out of aspirations. He knew he wasn't feeling ambitious of late, solely on the fact that his drive on improving has been incredibly low.

Was it due to the fact to his actions with Mei in the reclaiming of Kirigakure? Or the fact that he has no peers that are out of his reach?

Complacency was his worst enemy at that moment.

Kotero knew for a fact that Kakashi was strong. One of the strongest of Konoha. Yet the lone ninja is stagnant. He has barely changed in skill in the last few years that Kotero has taken residence in Konoha. The same is said for Asuma.

Gai on the other hand is getting stronger every day. Little by little, Gai is climbing the ladder.

Kotero can feel it whenever alone. He was lost.

' _She's here. Finally._ '

Kotero stood away from the bench and went back into the shop. The old lady behind the counter gave the young ninja a nod and a flick of her fingers. She knew what she had to do as she was paid in advance.

Returning to his seat, he saw a woman already making herself comfortable at the other side.

"I was wondering when you'd pop up," Kotero chimed. "You're late. It's almost night. You're lucky the dango lady stays open this late."

Anko smiled gleefully as she saw Kotero come by as he chuckled. She felt comfortable to be herself around him. She doesn't have to resort to crude and lewd jokes and actions at every instance. She can just relax.

"I was having trouble explaining the second exam to the Genin. It seems that trying to get a pair of opposite scrolls is hard to understand. And to get all those slips signed, and too make sure everyone entered the forest. And Naruto was being a cheeky brat about it as well, pushing my buttons. However, I admit that you Uzumaki men are handsome. You're nearly as handsome as your little brother," she jeered. She had a little giggle as she said her words.

"Naruto is quite the man. He'll be the pick of the crop once he actually goes looking for love."

"Is there anyone out there that you're interested in Kotero? Here in our lovely village or is it some farmgirl out in the countryside?" Anko asked, a grin forming on her lips. "You're young and soon to be in the prime in your life. You would have a hefty price on the market. And I wouldn't be surprised if your little brother follows the same path."

"Naruto left an impression on you then," Kotero pointed out. "Anko, you already know the answer to your question."

"Then what's stopping you?" she asked as she started to eat the freshly served dango. The old Granny was a former kunoichi, she laid the plate deftly and swiftly as if it was a mission.

Kotero took a moment to sip on his tea. Staring down into it, all he could see was black. An endless abyss where there was no visible end.

"I don't know… I want to become something before I move onto that part of my life. You know? My story has only truly begun, why move onto the second part so soon? I'm nearly twenty, I'm far too young to settle down."

"I never thought it that way… Sometimes I forget how young you really are."

Silence pertained the air. The evening sun was about to come. The plate was already cleaned.

"When the Moon of Blood comes at its grandest, the sunset children will have opened the gates of doom at the peak of the world with the key of the deep depths. The Eye of Doom will reawaken. The Cataclysm will arrive, and the world will be reborn.

"That's what my mother used to say. A forewarning written in ancient scriptures held at Uzushiogakure. I've known it since my father passed away. I don't understand what it means."

"That sounds really weird," a confused Anko commented. "You Uzumaki sound like a crazy bunch. It sounds like something one of those crazy religious leaders spout out."

Kotero laughed heartedly and looked back at her. "You're right. At least some of the cultures have cool religious things."

"Like what? Tell me about those blood-riders you were talking about with Kakashi?"

Kotero stalked his way back to the bench and laid down his now empty cup. "They say that if you die in battle with the blood of your enemies, you are reborn with your lower body replaced with that of a stallion, and there's open plains filled with women and delicacies. Seems like a good deal to me. I don't know what happens with the women though."

"Anko-sama!"

Kotero and Anko turned their heads to behind them. Kotero's eyebrows rose as he noticed it was another Chūnin assistant. These occurrences were truly irritating him. Kotero could sense that Anko was staring at the assistant with scary eyes.

In a shaky voice, the assistant shrieked, "There are bodies found close to the Tori shrine that we need you to investigate. The three are believed to be participates for the Chūnin exams."

Kotero watched the change in expression on Anko's face. Her fun persona dissipated as her serious side surfaced.

"Lead the way. We can't let the perpetrator get away from our grasp. This is our village; I won't let it be shamed," Anko ordered, her voice cold with her growing fury.

The two left and jumped atop of the rooftops close by. Not being one to be left in the dark, Kotero followed suit.

It didn't take long for him to see Anko and three Chūnin inspecting three corpses, lying beside headstones close to the shrine. From their apparel, they were ninja from the Kusagakure from the land of Tall Grass.

However, the bodies appeared to have lost their mass and shape. They were rather flat. Empty sacks of flesh.

"What the fuck?" Anko uttered as she lifted up the shoulders of one of the corpses. "I saw this person like a few hours ago… she went into the Forest of Death with her team. If she's there, then who's this? Unless…"

"Unless the person in the forest is a fake." Kotero's input made all the others turn their head to him. "Just leads to the question of who is the mysterious person in the forest?"

 **Boom!**

"That came from Training Grounds 44," One of the Chūnin said.

"That's the first time I heard anything that loud coming from a Chūnin exam. Must have been a bomb or an advanced explosive tag. You don't suppose it's a coincidence, do you Anko?" Kotero asked. His teeth were baring. The signs were not looking good, Naruto was in that forest and he could be in trouble. "That was heavy duty. Normally Genin don't have access to that type of equipment."

"Is this a terrorist attack? Are the people who did this want us to wage war on Kusagakure? We have an alliance with them!" One of the Chūnin asked.

Kotero turned to Anko whose skin was a ghostly pale. Her hand covered the nape of her neck and the other was clenched tightly. Blood leaked as her nails pierced her skin. "No… it can't be him…"

"Anko! Calm down," Kotero yanked her arm, making the woman snap out of her stupor. "It's alright, we'll fix this. Who is it?"

"I gotta go Kotero. I have something to take care of." Anko's words were filled with fear. This was nothing like the normal Anko. The Anko that Kotero was so used to, the one he knows the best.

"I can come with you. I can help you."

Anko stared at Kotero with wide eyes. Her neck jolted in pain, the pain of the present foreign control and of the past. She then shook her head solemnly.

"I have to deal with this. Me. Only me. Kotero, take care of this for me," she said as her eyes ignited with fight. And then she disappeared. Her exit was intense.

The leaves blew as the evening sun flared out of the scene.

"You three, go to Ibiki and tell him what happened here. Tell him to warn all of the others. Also tell him that ANBU will come and assist. I need to talk to the Hokage about this, now go!" Kotero ordered with a voice of steel.

"Yes Uzumaki-san!"

The three Chūnin jumped away and ran towards the Academy Grounds.

"Anko is only afraid of one thing. Her dark past is haunting her again. One person… I need to tell Jiji. Things are only going to get interesting from now it seems."

* * *

 **Training Grounds 44**

Through the heat and smoke, a ash covered snake moved its head, with its summoner standing on top. The mysterious Kusa kunoichi that had a dark presence surround her all day has attacked Team Seven. Appearing out of thin air and refusing to take their scroll, all she wanted was their lives.

"Cute. You're such a cute prey Naruto-kun," the Kusa kunoichi creepily said, making Naruto shiver. The summoned snake flicked its large tail to hit the underneath of the branch that Naruto was standing on.

The boy went flying into the branches. He was in pain, he needed assistance.

The branch broke in half and the tail hit Naruto. Naruto flew up high and broke more branches along the way until his body stopped, hitting into a branch that was thicker than the rest. His body started to fall.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed out in worry. "Sasuke! What are you doing! Why aren't you helping Naruto!? HE NEEDS YOU!"

Sasuke couldn't move again. The intent to kill. The lust for his blood was too much. "What power…" he stuttered. "Just like him..."

The sound of cracking could be heard below. Naruto broke through the branches and ran towards the dangerous foe. He had kunai in his left hand. His right hand was occupied with ninja wire. Naruto began to run vertically up the tree to try to get an advantage.

He had a plan and he was going to make sure it was going to work.

"Fufufu, he's smarter than he looks," the Kusa kunoichi said with a lick on her lips.

Naruto ran off a new branch until he was above the three heads of the Kusa kunoichi, Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto threw his kunai down, straight for the enemy's head.

"That is too simple. Maybe I was wrong," the Kusa kunoichi said.

The kunai came down and she simply deflected it. The kunai still held speed and dug itself into the ground nearby. She watched the kunai in amusement. This was too easy for her.

 **DUNK!**

The kunoichi looked down to her feet and saw another kunai. This one covered in multiple explosive tags. The were already ignited.

 **BOOM!**

The tags were set off and a huge explosion came. The snake hissed in pain before puffing into smoke. The black smoke cleared, and the sound of coughing can be heard. It was the Kusa kunoichi's cough.

"Fufufu. Using the first kunai as a guide for the bombed one. And making me set it near to myself. The rumours of you being a trickster are true then, Naruto-kun," she said with a smile.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on the woman. She appeared to be undamaged. Hell, she just looked a bit dirty, nothing more. He ticked his tongue. "What can I do next?" Naruto said under his breath.

The Kusa kunoichi waited for two seconds before she made her move. She flashed behind Naruto with the use of a body-flicker.

Naruto turned around and blocked a punch, aimed straight for his face.

' _That punch! It was so quick, but held so much weight. It was so heavy. Gah! My bones will break if this keeps up! I only had time to block it because of the body-flicker. What's next?'_ Naruto thought.

He pushed back the kunoichi and started an array of punches. Going left and right. Moving back and pushing forward. Mimicking ocean waves.

"Fufufu. You are good with your hands. But, can you deal with this?" the Kusa Kunoichi said with a grin.

Naruto brought up his arms and crossed them over his chest. The Kusa kunoichi was quick and did a spin kick. The power was so unreal that Naruto was flown back off his feet.

 **CRASH!**

Naruto was kicked into Sasuke and both boys tumbled back in pain. Sasuke's head was throbbing and Naruto was thanking his stars that his arms weren't broken.

The Kusa kunoichi slid down the tree and looked at both boys. They were her next meal.

"Naruto… We need to fight. We can't die here," Sasuke said. He rubbed his forehead and gritted his teeth. There was a cut, thankfully not deep. Blood was flowing down his face. "This woman is pissing me off."

Naruto nodded. "Me too. There's this intense pressure when I'm around her. It's way more than Zabuza, this bloodlust for us! I can't describe it… Where's Sakura?"

"She's hiding behind a tree. I ordered her to. She will only hold us back here. She needs to live, I won't let another person I cherish die on my watch."

Naruto smiled and cracked his neck loudly. "That's what I like to hear. Sasuke, it's time we stop messing about that kick her ass! The bithc won't be easy."

"Looks like it."

Amused by the rising spirits, the Kusa kunoichi closed the distance between her and them with a gleeming smile on her face."

"Have you boys come to an agreement? Fufufu, which one will I get to play with," the kunoichi asked.

"Both of us!" Naruto and Sasuke shouted in unison.

Sasuke jumped back and reached down to his holster.

Naruto threw multiple shuriken at the kunoichi. The kunoichi dodged them with snake-like motion. The shuriken hit the tree behind. The kunoichi then dashed forward and gets into Naruto's space.

"Round two, Naruto-kun?" she jested.

Naruto gritted his teeth and ducked under a high kick. He then jumped up to dodge a leg sweep.

The kunoichi then hit Naruto's abdomen with a powerful palm strike to send him back flying. Naruto skids across the tree and slows down. Naruto sent chakra to his feet to help slow down, it gave more friction. Long streaks of his shinobi sandals were marked in the tree.

The kunoichi came in close and started her taijutsu once more.

Naruto couldn't see or feel a clear opening, so he went with the flow. He dodged as much as he could, trying to be as fluid as possible.

' _Sense it Naruto. Everything is affected by one's chakra. Nii-chan showed us the ropes, once you sensed everything, we can predict everything fotward. It's time to put it to use!'_ Naruto thought as he swayed away from the attacks, trying to emulate his recent training.

 **SMACK!**

Naruto's face was punched across the right side of his jaw. Naruto nearly slipped from the force. It was incredibly powerful. He jumped back and formed the cross-hand seal. Multiple clones appeared all around and jumped after the enemy. The real Naruto jumped to a new branch and started to move his jaw around.

Thankfully it wasn't broken but there will certainly be a nasty bruise later.

"Shit! I don't have the hang of it at all!" Naruto growled with fury.

The kunoichi was surrounded by twenty shadow clones. All were coming at her at the same time, with a sharp kunai in hand. She narrowed her eyes and hit them one after the other with swift and brutally powerful strikes.

The clones started to pop out of existence. The last one puffed away with little trouble. The kunoichi scanned around the area to find Naruto. However, the blond was nowhere to be found.

The kunoichi shrugs her shoulders. "Now we're playing games, such cute prey you are," she said.

She took five steps forward.

 **SNAP!**

The sound of wire broke. The kunoichi looked down and saw traces of metal in the moss. It was high quality ninja wire. She broke it with her step. Now she must wait for what comes at her.

"So, Naruto-kun was just the distraction whilst Sasuke-kun sets up a trap. These boys have good minds," she said. "Minimal communication and this happens. This is spectacular."

Blue glows appear around the kunoichi. She saw three circles of the glows and at specific spots there were pieces of paper. "It's a explosive trap!" she said.

 **BOOM!**

A huge explosion of fire and smoke blasted up and around. The shockwave shook the trees and bushes around. Many birds left the treetops and flew into the skies. They feared the battle.

The leaves and dry wood catch on fire and spreads out. The forest is blazing.

"A forest fire? You don't see those much anymore," the kunoichi said. She was highly amused now. These boys were putting on a good show for her.

As the fire spread, Naruto and Sasuke land on a high branch and observe. They see the kunoichi. Yet again, she is only slightly covered by soot. Her clothes are more ragged, but she appeared to be completely fine.

This shocked both to the core.

"Naruto, you said those seal tags were the most powerful stuff you have, like blow up a town powerful. Why is that woman still alive!?" Sasuke asked in a dire shout.

Naruto breathed anxiously. "I don't know. That enough power to collapse a building. What the hell is that monster made out of?"

Naruto saw a flash of red to his side. It was way too fast.

Sasuke's Sharingan was watching every movement of the kunoichi. She was walking slowly around. She stopped and turned around. She stared directly at him and smiled creepily.

The kunoichi's body stretches and shoots towards Sasuke.

"Naruto, jump back!"

"Yup!"

Both Naruto and Sasuke jump back towards different directions. Sasuke went towards the ground and Naruto went to the treetops.

The kunoichi shifted her body towards Sasuke and kept the hunt going. Her tongue was sticking out in anticipation. Sasuke threw his kunai into trees. There was ninja wire connected to his kunai and he used them to acrobat around the forest.

A blast of wind came and hit Sasuke's side. It threw him off. Sasuke pulled hard onto his right and landed onto a large tree branch. The earthy mud in front of him started to pull itself together and then climbed up. The appearance of the Kusa kunoichi stood and gave Sasuke a smile.

"I do like it when I have to chase my prey around," she said. Her sadistic aura and speech was making Sasuke's skin crawl.

The Kusa kunoichi exerted some built up chakra to blast some dust into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke jumped high into the sky. In the air, he threw shuriken and his kunai at the kunoichi. She dodged with ease. Sasuke landed on a tree branch above the kunoichi and launched himself at her. A left kick, blocked. Then a right kick, blocked.

The kunoichi used her arms as her shields from Sasuke's taijutsu. Sasuke jumped over the kunoichi. The kunoichi tried doing a left high kick aimed at Sasuke's head but Sasuke was outside of her reach. Sasuke landed and did two backflips to make space between him and the kunoichi. The kunoichi dashed at Sasuke.

Seeing this, Sasuke closed the distance. Sasuke jumped and tried a mid-air rolling kick with his right foot. The kunoichi blocked the kick. Sasuke used his left foot to jump away from her. Once landed, he had to dodge her left short kick. They were close. They started exchanging punches. Lefts and rights. In between, kicks were exchanged. Neither had a clean hit on the other.

Sasuke's Sharingan were helping him out immensely in this fight.

Sasuke tried a left heel kick. The Kusa kunoichi jumped into the air and flipped over the Uchiha. She landed in a crouch. She then ran. Ran fast. She ran in a straight line and then took a right. Her speed left dust clouds where ever she went. She jumped from branch to branch, stretched underneath and above trees.

Sasuke was watching her closely. His sharingan allowed him to see this incredible speed. The Kusa kunoichi stretched from a branch and then rocketed to where Sasuke stood. Sasuke jumped out of the way, seeing the kunoichi crash into the huge branch he was standing on. He charged up his **Fire release: Phoenix fire technique** as he was falling.

Once landed, he shot multiple fireballs hoping to hit the kunoichi. He gasped then took a deep breath. He ran through the hand seals and used **Fire release: Grand fireball technique** in its flamethrower form, hoping to incinerate her.

The Kusa kunoichi smiled in the flames. She used a vast amount of chakra to blow away the fire that surrounded her. Then she tunnelled in the ground quickly like a mole. Once she reached Sasuke's position, she tried a left swipe. Sasuke jumped back to dodge. In the air, he flipped backwards and landed steadily.

Sasuke and the kunoichi stayed where they were. Sasuke took the time to regain his composure. He exhaled and got into his taijutsu stance, aimed at the kunoichi.

The Kusa kunoichi stood up, charged some wind chakra in her arms. Then she moved her arms in a downward motion while releasing the wind chakra, letting it blast toward Sasuke. Sasuke dodged. The tree behind him collapsed from the force.

The fire all around them burned more and more. It grew as time went on. Herds of trees are now burning and adding to the destruction. Wisps of silver grey smoke curled and danced their way through the thick hazy air. Churning and turning through the green leaves.

Sasuke jumped to the underneath of a branch, using chakra to stick onto it. He bent his legs and rocketed towards the kunoichi. Grabbing her waist and dragging her down. He positioned himself, so her head was aimed to the ground and he was holding onto her abdomen and chest.

The kunoichi screamed as she saw the ground coming closer to her face.

"I got you!" Sasuke shouted out.

The kunoichi's head drove into a thick branch. Many cracks appeared in the bark from the force. Her arms went limp from the taijutsu move. Sasuke jumped away to get more distance, he was cautious and paranoid. He saw the legs that were straight also fell limp. He relaxed his guard only slightly once he saw this. Sasuke watched the kunoichi's face go through many facial expressions. Then her tongue popped out and her body spasmed. Sasuke didn't know what was going until she turned into mud.

"A substitute. When did she do it?" he yelled out in surprise. A kunai flicked the back of his hair. Sasuke immediately jumped down the thick branch as more kunai pelted down in a storm. Sasuke brought his hands together. He then pulled on ninja wire that were hidden inside his arm sleeves. He holstered the wires on a jutting and sturdy branch. With this, he swung around the forest at high speeds. Sasuke landed and looked around for the threat.

The Kusa kunoichi came out of hiding and gave Sasuke a left hook. Sasuke felt the force and stumbled back. The Kusa didn't let up as she punched Sasuke's ribs with a left then a right in quick succession. The kunoichi gripped Sasuke's hair, pulled it down and brought her right knee up to meet his face. Sasuke couldn't handle it and stumbled back even further. The kunoichi gave another right hook, making Sasuke go into the air and landing on the ground like a rag-doll.

The Kunoichi was about to make her next attack on Sasuke. The end was closing in.

 **SMACK!**

Naruto's two feet sunk into the side of the kunoichi's face. There was so much force behind his kick that the kunoichi skidded off the tree. Naruto landed onto the tree after his kick. Naruto turned his head to see a tired Sasuke. "It's my turn now!"

Naruto gave chase to the kunoichi. There was no way he was going to let up the advantage Sasuke gave him.

Naruto jumped over and flipped into a landing close to the kunoichi. The kunoichi was fixing her face after his kick. Naruto grinned. He put as much power into that attack. It was the start of his master plan after all.

' _She isn't in the right position!'_ Naruto thought frantically. He formed the cross-hand seal and produced many shadow clones. The fire in the forest was still burning and grew exponentially. Branches were falling with their ashes. The whole area was smoking up. An extremely dangerous environment.

"Shadow clones again? Naruto-kun, this is why Sasuke-kun is much more talented than you are," the kunoichi said with a smirk. "Your thinking is way too narrow. Explosions and shadow clones is all I've seen from you today."

Naruto ignored the insult. He clones went after the kunoichi one after the other. The kunoichi dodged and took them out with ease. However, it was never Naruto's plan to defeat her with just clones.

The last one was defeated and the kunoichi was satisfied. She looked around and noticed something strange. She was completely surrounded by fire. The humongous trees that stood over three hundred feet tall were alit. She was in the middle of a tower of inferno.

The kunoichi looked to her back and saw a long and free clearing. There was a huge build-up of wind elemetal chakra coming by. She narrowed her eyes and saw a blond boy with a chest that was about to burst. She gasped in horror. She had no idea what to do now. There was no was no way in stopping the inevitable.

' _ **Wind release: Greath Breakthrough**_ _ **!'**_ Naruto thought. He released the built-up wind in an air stream. Directly pointed at the kunoichi. It shot at great speeds as it was under incredible pressure.

The wind caught on fire as it passed into where the kunoichi was standing. The fire on the trees added to the festival of blazes. The heat was intense as the flames changed to white in colour. A combination of Sasuke's hot fire and Naruto's stormy wind.

The kunoichi howled as she was completely covered in fire. She tried to escape, but she could not. The fire was surrounding her everywhere.

Naruto kept his focus on his stream of wind. He moved his right foot and snapped some ninja wire.

His trap activated. Explosive seal tags ignited at the bases of multiple trees. It was about to begin!

 **KA-BOOM!** **KA-BOOM!** **KA-BOOM!** **KA-BOOM!**

They exploded blew more smoke around the place. Four large areas of multiple explosions. The trees started to fall and collapse. They were going to land on the kunoichi. Everything was on fire; the falling trees were just going to add to the insane mess. The massive weight of the trees landed where the kunoichi was standing. She had to be under tonnes of burning death. The earth shook as the mighty trees toppled on top of each other.

The ground shook hard.

Naruto stopped his jutsu and gasped for air. There was an intense pain all over his body and especially his chest.

The scene in front of him exploded and more flare came. Silver grey smoke risen and covered the sky.

Naruto had a feeling that ANBU would come in and put out this deadly fire. It would be bad if the whole Exam area was covered in flames.

Naruto turned around and started to walk back to where Sasuke and Sakura should be. Naruto knew he needed a break

"Sasuke and I did it… We make a good team," Naruto said with a struggle. He was dying on his feet.

The dense air made it hard for him to speak, let alone breath. His voice was raspy after using his jutsu to such an extreme case. His chakra reserves were also feeling like they were going to be at all-time low. It's been a long and tough day. Naruto thought it would be nice just to sit back and relax.

"Fufufu, you surprise me yet again Naruto-kun."

Naruto stopped in his tracks. His heart sunk to the ground. The voice was different. It had more depth. It was also the voice that belonged to a man, not a woman. Naruto quickly turned around and saw the kunoichi, smiling at him. Half her face was melted. Behind the tan skin was pale skin with purple lining. Yellow eyes with black slits watching Naruto carefully.

"Who the hell are you!? Why are you doing this to us!? No Genin should be as strong as you! You should be dead!" Naruto shouted, losing his composure. His mind could not process it. How can this person still be alive? How can someone survive the hell he and Sasuke had created?

"I'm sure you will have heard of my name. I am Orochimaru. I came here seeking a special tool. A tool which will help me see how the wind blows and affect the world. The only tool that will help achieve my dreams. However, you are in the way. And I can't have you get in my way any longer, despite the fun you provided for me," Orochimaru said as he teared off the mask. Revealing his true face.

"That woman… it was a fake?" Naruto stuttered as he fell on his butt. The bloodlust from a member of the Sannin was intense. Naruto could feel someone snaking their hand around his beating heart. Squeezing it with a strong grip.

Orochimaru giggled. "How observant of you? I thought you would be like an idiot like Jiraiya, but you are much more… skilled than he was at your age. Colour me suprised I suppose, you were much more than what I have thought. It makes me happy beyond belief. I see that it is true, you and your brother are truly the Children of the Storm, aren't you? It would be an absolute treat to see how his and your bodies worked under the microscope. I always wanted to know if there was something actually special within the Uzumaki Bloodline."

Naruto gnashed his teeth. "How do you know about that!? Why are you so interested in me and my Nii-chan!?"

Orochimaru moved in a flash and grabs Naruto's throat. He pushes it down with great pressure. Naruto is on his back and pinned against his will. Naruto gasps for air and started to hit Orochimaru's arm. He needed to escape and fast.

"How do I know that? Naruto-kun, I am older than I look. Oh, Child of Storm, the Uzumaki are a clan that truly interest me. But there is a clan that is much more interesting than yours. The Uchiha clan!" Orochimaru said with a hysterical smile.

Naruto struggled to breathe. He kept his mouth shut and glared at the legendary ninja in front of him.

"The Uchiha clan are a clan that have something that I want. That something, is your dear-friend Sasuke-kun."

"Sasuke! What do you... want with... Sasuke!? He's not... a tool you freak! He's my partner!"

"Yes Naruto-kun. I want his eyes. Now, I better go and make myself known to him and the little pink girl now. They might be confused on what is happening now. The fire and smoke we're in now is making a space just for me and you. How pleasant. However all things must end at some time, I cannot let you live," Orochimaru said.

Naruto's eyes widened. His heart started to beat faster. Naruto needed to breathe.

"You are a strong child. If you grow up, you will cause many problems to me and my future plans. Especially when you use your true power. Your Jinchūriki powers. No idiot will leave Now, lucky you. I won't kill you directly. If possible, I want Konoha to think someone kidnapped you to take to their village. If Konoha declares a war in search of you, then the windmill will start to move harder.

So, I'll do something that you would see from your own clan," Orochimaru said as a snake came out of his mouth and pulled up Naruto's ninja clothing. It revealed his abdomen. It was showing the patterns of his seal.

Orochimaru pulled back right hand flowed chakra to it. Blackened chakra covered each fingertip. He gathered the tips to get and struck Naruto's core. Air pushed back in all directions. The outside and reaction forces were strong.

Naruto screeched in pain. A true burning sensation. He regurgitated blood as Orochimaru pushed his fingers further in. Naruto's eyes turned blind for a few moments as the pain was too much. Orochimaru lets him go and stands up. Orochimaru looks at his fingers keenly before giving them a shake. He sighs and looks down.

"If you can break the death seal I have put on you, with any method that you can use. I would be very impressed. If not, I do hope the spiders enjoy your carcass. Now," Orochimaru said. He swiped some blood off his arm and spreads it across his palm. He flowed through the hand seals and then smacked the ground with his palm.

A large brown snake appeared. It hissed as it moved its head closer to Orochimaru. "Take the blond boy and place him on the other side of the grounds. I don't want anybody disturbing my time with Sasuke-kun. Once there, dig underground and shed your skin. Let his corspe rot with nature," Orochimaru ordered.

The snake nodded and opened its mouth. In one gulp, it swallowed Naruto and then moved his body away from the fire. It is going to separate Naruto from his teammates.

Orochimaru moves his hand across his face. The face of the Kusa kunoichi came back and covered his true form. "Now, I have to get to Sasuke-kun before Sensei's men get here. The fire is not something that was a part of the plan. Yet, two remarkable boys pulled off this much destruction. Using the whole environment just to kill me, tried to at least. Fufufu, they couldn't have done this much damage if it wasn't for the trees."

Orochimaru slinked his way back to where the scared Sasuke and Sakura were. "Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke. Two boys with such potential and both with outrageously powerful brothers. Fufufu, it really is something. I wonder how the wind will push the windmill now. A stopped windmill isn't worth watching at all."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	15. Chapter 15 - Beyond the Eyes

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 15 – Beyond the Eyes**

"You think Orochimaru is in the Forest of Death, dressed as a student from Kusagakure?" Hiruzen asked.

Kotero nodded as he stood in front of his leader, the man he considers a grandfather. "I do. Anko freaked out. She completely lost her cool. Her eyes were of the time when her nightmares resurfaced after we placed the seal on her neck. It has to be him Jiji," he told him. "I can think of nothing else."

"And what do you think Orochimaru wants?"

Kotero could only shrug. "I don't think he wants Naruto. He could have done something before I came here to Konoha to do something about him. No one else really comes to mind."

"Well give it a think. You're smart Kotero, I know that better than anyone else, you should see it clear as day considering the stories I told you. Anyway, I'm dispatching two ANBU squads into Training Grounds 44 to investagate. Hopefully they'll find Anko before she does anything crazy. Even if a false alarm, we can't take any chances," Hiruzen stated.

"No we cannot."

Kotero smiled at Hiruzen and then turned heel to the door. "See ya Jiji. I'm bouncing."

"Kotero, we're not done here." Gaining back the attention of the redhead, Hiruzen coughed into his fist. "I'm ordering you to attend the Centre tower ceremony at the end of the five day period of the second exam. Keep an eye on Anko and keep her in line once we get her. She still has psychological issues with Orochimaru. You are probably the best person at keeping her calm. Do you understand?" he asked with his sternest voice.

"Of course Jiji, anything for you Jiji," Kotero responded swiftly.

"Good. Now, leave and let this old man rest. Naruto is probably sound asleep waiting for the thing to end to move onto the nezt stage."

* * *

 **Deep within the North-Western Quadrant, The Forest of Death**

Darkness surrounds the whole environment. A sense of total, drowsiness and tiredness holds down the Genin in the forest.

 **GASP!**

He felt trapped and alone. He couldn't see a damn thing. Naruto's body was wrapped in moist soil. Digging himself out of the ground, it didnt' take him long to reach the top of the forest floor.

"How the hell... Where am I?" he pondered as he looked around with dull eyes.

Turning his head back to where he dug out from, his dull eyes brightened in colour. The colour of shock resided in them.

In his view, a large snake, one that would ruin a town as it slid through had its head pierced through a tree, blood was everywhere.

The area seemed haunted in Naruto's eyes. Almost as if he resurrected from the dead. Naruto had to get out of there.

Although tired and drowsy, forced his arms to move and jumped up and down. There was a thud as he landed without grace. Falling to his knee, Naruto started to breathe rapidly and raggedly.

Naruto walked to a deep grove near the mountain Ash trees. Collapsing to his rear, Naruto took some time to collect himself.

Naruto was thinking over what just happened before everything turned to darkness. It was a crazy chain of events.

"Orochimaru… Sasuke… Sasuke's eyes!? Damnit, he's going to kill Sasuke! Or has he already… And that snake? Did I do that... or did it?"

Naruto realised the worst possible outcome. His heart sunk with a deep pull.

Naruto gnashed his teeth. Fury was evident in his eyes.

"Nobody will kill my friends. I must get to Sakura and Sasuke, they could be nearly dead. Shit... Damnit!" Naruto hissed the end under his breath. There was real fear coursing through his voice.

Naruto stood up and went off. As he stepped towards the forest clearing, a burning sensation came and went like lightning. Naruto gripped his abdomen. He choked and vomited some blood.

Wiping his mouth and spitting out the rest. Naruto narrowed his eyes on the small puddle of his blood.

"What the hell was that?"

Naruto jogged through his memory. He was trying to find what could have caused this pain.

Naruto's eyes flashed open. It was that damn Orochimaru again. Naruto remembered it all now, it was a death seal. A unique type of chakra seal that exceedingly difficult to create, control and then execute. For the inexperienced, it can cause recoil damage in the form of burns or even an explosion. Losing a finger could be a possibility.

Naruto hasn't learnt them yet. They were advanced seals. Naruto couldn't create unique seals on his palms or fingers with his current skill. Kotero, the best sealer he knows doesn't like to use them himself, despite their clan creating them.

Naruto knew how Kotero worked mentally. How he thought about his next move, especially in a fight. He loved to get down into the gritty end of it. He loved the blood, sweat and pain.

These death seals were a ticking time bomb once activated on the target. Kotero found that it ruined the fun. It took the edge off the fight.

Naruto found it funny that his brother was so against using these chakra seals in battle, yet he always laments him to use the most effective and efficient path to a success. Whether it be a mission, fight or a day out of fun. The hypocrisy was palpable.

Naruto could only laugh since they were both the same in that aspect.

Naruto took off his orange sleeve-less jacket and then took off his blue shinobi shirt. With his upper body now naked, Naruto flowed his chakra around his belly button. Black markings slowly appeared and formed an intricate pattern. A black swirl in the middle with black markings around the swirl. It was supposed to appear instantly, with crisp not fuzzy seal markings.

"The Eight Trigrams Seal. It doesn't look too damaged much. Where is the extra crap the freak put on me?" Naruto said as he looked at his belly with sluggish eyes.

Some seals can affect the pattern and purpose of an already existing seal.

Naruto knew the Five Element Seal is one of these seals which can violently affect the chakra network of a ninja. They can affect the chakra network so much that the person that has the seal won't be able to mould chakra properly at all if it's in effect.

Naruto felt around his seal and felt nothing different from the last time he remembered what it felt like. There were just some tender areas from the attack.

If a seal is not strong enough or the already existing seal is a very advanced seal, the new seal will have no effect. This only holds truth unless you have a Sealer who has mastered the arts. It could even hurt the user trying to put on the new seal.

This did not mean that Naruto didn't feel the seal that was tried to be put on him. He was still agonizing over the pain. The death seal was still dangerous to him. A danger.

Since Naruto had taken the death seal head-on and the new seal didn't take effect, he has a chance of suffering from chakra poisoning from the chakra residue. It is chakra aimed to kill after all. Naruto knew he would have to check into the hospital to see if he was alright.

 **COUGH!**

Naruto coughed up blood and spat it right out, it landed on the dry ground. Naruto, while taking his time, looked to the blood-stained dirt and saw that his blood was much darker than it should be.

"That doesn't look good," he murmured under his breath. "I don't know what to do with that. I'll get Nii-chan or someone to look at it later."

Naruto breathed in and out and reflected once more over the past events. "That's what must have happened. He must have tried to kill me with that seal but the Yondaime's seal kept me safe. But, holy shit, my belly is in so much pain! I can barely move!" he complained as he went back to get his clothes.

Naruto reached to one of his back pouches to get a sealed scroll, which was filled with food and water supplies. When his hand delved into the pouch, it felt very strange. It was empty. Completely empty.

Naruto ticked his tongue and swore under his breath. He was annoyed he lost his belongings. Yet, Naruto was happy that not every belonging he had was missing. The most important was still in his possession.

Putting back his shirt and jacket, Naruto did some quick stretches. After feeling springy, he jumped to the trees to see the treetops.

Reaching the top, Naruto could see the huge area that is Training Grounds 44. Naruto needed one thing badly. Water.

Scanning the environment around him, Naruto tried to look for a river or lakebed. He knew there were some areas of water in the grounds, but he had no idea where.

A shine of light beamed across his visage. Naruto spun his head and saw sparkling light. Grinning to himself, Naruto leapt across the treetops and ran to the light.

Landing quickly, Naruto dashed to the crystal light. It was water. A fresh spring in fact. There were small animals drinking from the built-up water. Rodents and insects. Naruto heard the quacking of a duck. He saw the yellow-billed duck enjoying himself. A smile appeared on Naruto's face.

Naruto sighed depressingly. He was lectured a hundred and one times on why you shouldn't drink dirty water. But Naruto was quite thirsty. What choice did he have?

Cupping some water with his hand, Naruto rehydrated himself with the water in front in him. It had a small metallic taste as well as an herbal one. This confused Naruto, but with a quick look to the flowing water, there were river herbs growing beside and in the river.

Naruto nodded to himself. This explained everything.

There was a loud ruffle heard in the bushes in front of Naruto. Large footprints were digging into the ground. The ground shook slightly with every passing step.

Naruto jumped back a fair distance and took out his kunai from his holster. His last kunai.

' _Damn, I used all my kunai against the freak and the Ame ninja. And my spares were stored in my sealed scrolls. I have the worst luck ttebayo._ '

Naruto griped onto the kunai hard and focused his eyes on the bushes ahead. With only one kunai and no shuriken in his arsenal, Naruto had no bladed weapons to spare. This kunai is the difference between life and death until he finds another ninja or a ninja corpse.

 **RAWR!**

Naruto's eyes widened from the monster in front of him. A brown grizzly bear came out with its long claws, swiping through the bushes and trees. Tearing apart the foliage with total ease. It had strands of salvia hanging down its mouth.

The creature was massive. Naruto swore that it was at least ten feet tall.

Naruto immediately jumped back further and then jumped to the trees.

The bear saw Naruto move and charged after him. The bear dug its claws into the bark of the tree that Naruto was residing and started to climb on top of it.

Naruto freaked out. Not knowing what to do, Naruto hopped to the next tree, and then the next, and the one after. Naruto never looked behind, the bear could do something nasty to him in his weakened state.

If Naruto was fully fit, he knew he could take the bear on like a mad man. Though Naruto didn't want to kill the bear, he could certainly knock it out with the use of his fists.

Even then, Naruto knew that bear meat wasn't exactly nice to eat. The bear's last meal would have a large effect on the final taste. And since the bear was close to a river and lake, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if the bear devoured a lot of fish, making the bear meat taste vile.

There would be a lot of energy exerted just to kill, then skin and cook the bear. Too much for one person, let alone a young teenager.

Naruto kept his eyes on the prize, away from the threat. Naruto could feel the cool wind going south. A northern wind. This was an unusual wind current for the Land of Fire during the Summer period.

Naruto bet that if he followed this path, it would soon enough lead him to either the Central Tower or close to his companions.

Naruto was hoping he would cross paths with Shikamaru and his team on his venture. Naruto knew Shikamaru would help him out, even though they were "against" each other in this exam. Shikamaru's lazy, yet remarkably effective, brain could help him find his teammates

Naruto kept up his run for twenty minutes. He then stopped in his tacks. The hairs on the back of his spine stood tall. His senses were on high alert. He was wondering what could be alarming his senses.

Naruto settled his nerves and breathed in the air. There was a vile smell. A rotting smell.

Naruto descended and tracked down the source of the smell. He moved through the leaves and jumped to the ground. Pushing through the thick bushes and leaves, using his kunai as a hacking tool, he finally got to lay his eyes on the scene of questioning.

Blood and needles littered the clearing. Naruto, who walked a few steps forward, saw three figures that made him sick to the stomach.

Three corpses that were compressed, completely lacking in blood or water and maggots feeding off their flesh.

The deaths didn't freak out Naruto in the slightest. It was the nature of the kill. Completely ruthless. The mouths of the dead were stretched wide. They were screaming until they left the land of the living. Only one thing creeped Naruto out, it was the fact that the kills were old.

There was dark sand around the corpses. Naruto saw some more in the mouths and clothes of the ninja, which from their headbands indicated that they affiliated with Amegakure.

"Sabaku no Gaara… He is the only ninja I know that uses sand as a form of ninjutsu. Is it a Bloodline Limit? I don't know, but the guy is weird," Naruto said.

Naruto went around and searched the ninja. He was sceptical on finding anything worthwhile apart from kunai and shuriken.

Alas, there was no scroll for the exam's objective. Naruto wasn't surprised from the result. The Suna ninja that killed this group would have been idiots if they didn't. However, it was not a situation where Naruto needed another scroll.

The Ame ninja had no food on hand however, they had water bottles. Naruto desperately needed one, so he took them from the dead and strapped it around his waist. Ready to refill soon for his future journey.

Naruto stood up and dusted himself off. Cracking his knuckles, Naruto followed the natural ravine close-by, going downhill from there. Naruto, being taught survival skills by both the Academy and his brother knew that often enough, you will find a water source this way.

They weren't wrong as Naruto found a flowing river. The same river that flowed from the spring that he found before. Naruto quickly unscrewed the cap and filled his bottle with surprisingly clean water.

With the essential water by his side, Naruto was now ready to delve into the mystery of finding his team and friends. Team Seven were down for now, but they sure aren't out.

Naruto jumped high and waltzed through the trees towards the centre of the grounds. Going with the wind, Naruto was heading south. He could tell from the sun's rays that it was still east. This made it easier to navigate to his destination. The Central tower located exactly on the centre of the circle boundary.

Naruto kept close to the trees, staying at the middle height as he jumped through the forest. Sometimes going onto his feet to run on the large and long branches that stretched for many metres.

Naruto didn't let up, he kept going forward. The early morning transformed to noon. The sun was beating down hard onto the damp forest. Naruto took a break as he reached the central area of the Forest of Death.

The humidity made the forest a living hell. Naruto was sweating bullets from the dense air.

 **Rumble!**

Naruto heard and felt the rumble of his empty stomach. He had extraordinarily little to eat aside from the few berries that grew throughout the forest.

There was only so many edible and safe food found in this forest. There forest was always theming with many poisonous fruits, berries and fungi in the forest. Some lead to paralysis, others lead to a slow and painful death. No wonder they were used for poisons and antidotes.

Naruto was never one for poison, though he knew they had their strong points. Naruto didn't know how to make it, apply it or even use it in an effective manner. He knew this will be another thing to add to the list for becoming one of the best ninja in history.

"I don't have time to waste looking for food. Sakura and Sasuke come first," Naruto said as he looked around the landscape.

"Things would be so much easier if I could do **that**."

Naruto calmed his chakra and closed his eyes. Breathing in and out, he tried to remember all the steps. He needed to find his friends and fast.

* * *

 **~ One Month Ago – The Uzumaki Residence ~**

"You want to what?" Kotero asked. He was looking at Naruto with surprised eyes. His voice was one of shock as well.

"You heard me Nii-chan," Naruto said. His arms were crossed. His whole figure was serious.

Kotero stared at Naruto for a few moments before letting out a deep sigh. Then, a smile grew on his face. He couldn't say no to him. He finished the piece of bread he was eating and dusted his hands clean.

Kotero moved to the front door and opened it. "Well, if ya want to learn it, we better go soon. I have a busy schedule, so we won't have much time to this."

Naruto cheered with a fist-pump before running out of the house. Kotero sighed with a happy grin and caught up to his energetic little brother.

Kotero walked along the path towards the forest nearby their home. Naruto followed him by his side.

"Nii-chan, why aren't we doing it at our place," Naruto asked. They usually did their training there.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders as they kept moving. "Naruto, you will find out soon enough."

Naruto didn't question further. He followed Kotero as they went off to the dirt road and into one of Konoha's many forests. The leaves were thickening, it gave the forest the impression of being dense with life.

Their walk was long. Naruto was wondering when they would finally arrive to this mysterious location. He was about to open his mouth again until he saw why they came here.

Kotero had brought them to a waterfall. The cliff-face showed its bare rock. Water was flowing heavily from the top. Water was pooling at the bottom with a large volume.

The ground was covered in stones beside the river that ran off from the waterfall. A perfect place to train.

Kotero walked to the water and stood on top of it. He then moved towards the centre of the pool.

"When the weather really comes, this place will be a great spot to catch some sun and play in the water. But, it's not that time yet Naruto. So, we can use it for training.

"Now, what you asked to be trained in isn't something you can learn overnight. It is a skill that grows as you grow. It grows as you become stronger, more controlled with your abilities and when your willpower increases as well," Kotero said.

He rested his hands on his hips whilst talking to Naruto. He was in a good mood.

Naruto nodded and listened. "Does that mean I won't be able to do it?" he asked.

Kotero shook his head. "No, it doesn't mean you can't do it. But, it will be harder for you to do it. What you're asking is something that becomes a part of you. Naruto there is a lot more to 'sensing' then what meets the eye. However, today we will make a start on it. Hopefully it won't go badly but sensing chakra is one of those things that nobody is good at from the start."

Kotero did a 'come here' gesture to Naruto. Naruto ran over to Kotero and water-walked close to Kotero's position.

Kotero took out a cloth and spun Naruto around. Folding the cloth, Kotero wrapped the cloth over Naruto's eyes and tied it tightly from the back.

Kotero then moved away from Naruto. "Stay calm and don't move until I say so. Training begins right now. Now, why do you think I took away your vision?" Kotero asked.

Naruto didn't move from his spot. "Because you don't want me to see you, duh! I can't see you at all ttebayo. So, what now?" Naruto asked.

"Correct, and don't be so cheeky. Your vision and hearing are your primary sources of detecting others. They also are important because we need them to communicate of course. So, now that your vision is gone, you are severely hampered.

"If you are not trained in your other senses, you will die on the field. A good ninja should have tools that puts your senses at a disadvantage or at least use the environment to hurt one of them.

"Seeing that you can't see me, but you can hear me, you can still predict or even know my location. If your vision and hearing are gone for some time or even permanently. What would you do?" he asked.

Naruto didn't know how to answer the question. "I don't know."

Kotero laughed. "Good. I didn't expect you to know. Ninja can train their perception of observation to detect others by chakra. Having the experience of feeling others chakra is strange, but it's almost as good as your true vision. For others, it can be even more useful than your own sight.

Sensing chakra can help predict attacks, know the next position, the emotional state of the enemy. Since chakra is intertwined with our body and spirit, people who can 'sense' chakra can tell a lot about others just by their chakra. Naruto, sensing is on a whole other level," Kotero said.

"Woah… That's amazing," Naruto said.

"I know. But like I said before, this is something that takes years to master. The Nidaime Hokage was known to able to sense the chakra of his enemies from miles away. If you didn't know Naruto, Jiji is also a sensor."

Naruto shook his head. "How could I know? It's not like he talks much about his own skills. He always wants to know about mine," he complained.

Kotero rubbed his face. "Yeah well, the man is busy. Alright! Let's get started," Kotero said as he clapped his hands. "Follow the sound. Tell me when you can't hear me anymore."

Naruto nodded. Kotero walked around Naruto at a normal pace. Every step was decreasing in sound volume. Moments later, there was only silence. Naruto was concentrating hard to find where Kotero was hiding.

 **Splash!**

Naruto turned around and pointed his finger. "Aha! found you!" he shouted.

"I'm right over here Naruto. A frog jumped into the water just there," Kotero said loudly. His voice was coming from behind Naruto.

Naruto slumped. He was disappointed. For a second, he really thought he was a prodigy at this.

"This is harder than I thought," Naruto said.

Kotero sighed. "Of course, it is. Sensing is a sixth sense Naruto. Right now, you have no idea what it feels like or how you should manipulate it. But once you grasp even the slightest of it, you should be able to improve on it to a mastery level. But others will always be better than you in this."

Naruto slumped even more. "That's not nice to hear."

Kotero laughed lightly. "Sure, what do you expect Naruto? You might not be the best at sensing, but you could become the best 'wind' user in existence. You have the tools, we just need to work on it. But, that's for another day. Come on! You're wasting time here."

"You're the one who's supposed to teach me!" Naruto said quickly. There was irritation in his tone.

Kotero clicked his tongue. The noise was sharp and loud. Naruto instantly straightened up. "Looks like you want to go on the harder difficulty. Oh Naruto. You silly boy. Try to find me now," Kotero said with a voice filled with evil.

Naruto shivered on the spot. The water flowed more fiercely after Kotero said those words. There was also a cold breeze that hit his face. Naruto was now scared.

Naruto tried to calm himself down. But he simply couldn't. His brother was scary when he gets into these types of moods. Naruto never had a solid idea on what the guy was going to do next.

Naruto walked slowly forward. He had no idea where he was going. The damn blindfold did its job well. Too well in Naruto's opinion.

Naruto could feel that his heart was about to burst out of his chest. The suspense was killing him.

 **SWISH!**

Naruto felt the side of his left cheek. There was a warm liquid flowing down. It was blood!

Naruto then gasped for air. The stinging pain only came now! He wondered, why was there such a delayed reaction?

Naruto jumped from the spot to another location. The surroundings were unknown to him. He was cursing Kotero on choosing this place. He had no idea where anything was.

Then it clicked. It all made sense for him now. Naruto cursed his older brother even more. Kotero brought him here on purpose so he couldn't use his memory to help him survive this training. He had no idea what the layout of this place was, and he never studied it before. He was essentially a sitting duck.

It's like what Kotero said. Sensing was on a whole other level.

Naruto stopped his movements and hunched slightly forward. He was mentally preparing himself for the potential onslaught.

Nothing happened. The only sounds were the crashing of water to his side. The waterfall was making itself noisy.

The birds were singing their songs. The wind danced through the forest trees. Naruto could very well enjoy this tranquil environment if it wasn't for his brother now.

Naruto ducked forward on instinct. He had no idea why, but his internal danger alarm screamed to hunch forward. A mere moment after, there was a large cracking noise further away. Naruto could swear it was the sound of breaking bark.

"Ara-ara. Isn't this something? Naruto, why did you move like that?" Kotero asked.

Naruto gulped. Somehow, Kotero was right behind his ear. Did he just form out of thin air!?

"I don't know Nii-chan. I just had to move," Naruto answered.

Kotero hummed. "It seems too early. Hm, you must have heard something. That's good. If you didn't move, you would have gotten a very nasty cut. Come on, let us not waste your precious time Naruto," Kotero said with a cheery voice.

"Shut up Kotero-nii."

"Sorry, my bad. Alright, I'll stop teasing you now. So, I'm going to throw shuriken from different positions. I can throw them anywhere from this area around the waterfall. But, you must stay on the water. The only way to do this is to make it hard," Kotero said.

Kotero went off and disappeared from Naruto's radar. Naruto calmed himself down. Trying to feel out Kotero's chakra, body and soul.

Naruto couldn't feel a damn thing. Not like he was expecting to. "This is harder than I thought," he muttered under his breath.

"Naruto. Stop wasting chakra. You're expelling it slowly from your body. You supposed to feel out chakra, not pour it out," Kotero yelled at him.

Naruto bit his tongue from snapping at Kotero. He knew he meant well, but he found it annoying that he was called out for his attempt.

Naruto breathed in and out, trying to calm his chakra once again. Naruto focused on his own flow, trying to feel where the surges of chakra were going.

He started to sweat. This was difficult for Naruto. It always felt that his chakra was being pulled at one end or pushed out by the other. What could be causing this disturbance?

 **Swish!**

Naruto yelped in pain. It was a quick sting. Another cut but on his other cheek. "Do you feel like adding more whiskers on my damn cheeks, huh? Nii-chan!?" Naruto yelled out.

Kotero laughed. "That was funny Naruto. Good one. This is only one way to train. If you don't like it, find someone else to teach you. But, I know my way will work on you."

Naruto nodded. "Bastard brother. Alright. What should I be doing?" he asked.

Kotero didn't reply straight away. "Do you think I know the answer? Everyone is different. You must find your own way to do this. It isn't as simple as training with a weapon. There's only so much I could physically help."

Naruto listened and agreed to the words. He was positive that the Hokage's way and his brother's way of sensing were different, but both served the same purpose and delivered the same result.

They resumed their training. Naruto was waiting patiently.

Naruto felt something dark and heavy. It had no true weight but there was a glimpse of a heavy force oozing out somewhere. It was only for a mere moment. Not even a second. Naruto turned around to the direction where he felt where the source of it should be.

Naruto felt a prickling sensation on his right ear. He leaned hard to the left. He could feel in in the air. A shuriken blitzed past him.

 **Spilt!**

The sound of bark splitting was heard. The shuriken impact must have been powerful.

"Sweet! I did it!" Naruto said with a grin. He whispered it under his breath, to make sure Kotero didn't hear him.

 **Grab!**

Before he could even speak again, Naruto felt a pair of hands grip his ankles. The force was unreal. He couldn't even budge. Trying to pull his legs up was futile.

 **Splash!**

Naruto was pulled underwater. His whole body felt the pressure of the water hit him. He was freaking out.

Lucky for him, he didn't scream when he was pulled. He would have choked on water then. That would have been embarrassing for the aspiring ninja.

Naruto felt his ankles free up. He immediately swam up to surface. It was getting easier and easier as he rose up.

 **Gasp!**

Naruto inhaled the sweet air. Slamming his hands on the water, he climbed up using chakra and stood on his feet. Naruto felt that he was a great deal heavier now. He lifted his arm. The clothes made it impossible to move as fluid as before. He was clearly soaked to the bone.

"What the hell Nii-chan!? Why'd you do that for?" Naruto demanded.

Kotero laughed lightly at his brother. He calmed down but kept his smile. "What's the ultimate rule of being a ninja Naruto? The rule that determines your survival?" he asked.

Naruto knew the answer. Yet, he didn't see where it fitted here, in all the places. "Expect the unexpected. Come on, that's like the first thing you taught me Nii-chan."

Kotero hummed in agreement. "Indeed, I did teach you that little brother. Now, you must be wondering why I would I pull my sweet little brother under the water. Well the answer is simple. It was to see if you were sensing properly."

"Sensing properly? I was trying to-"

"Trying to and doing it are two different things. There's no way that you will get it on your first go but if you're not thrown in the deep end… at some point, you're never going to learn. If you noticed, I haven't moved at all since after the last time we spoke," Kotero told Naruto.

Naruto gasped. "You mean you-"

"Yes. I used a jutsu to pull you under the water. A water clone to be exact. Did you feel my watery hands get your ankles? That was my chakra manipulating the water. A sensor or someone who is trained in water ninjutsu would be able to feel that my chakra was moving and using the water around us.

Seeing that you had no idea of this, it means that you didn't sense the chakra. But… you moved your body, you were facing me when I made no movement or noise. Did you feel something? Or was it a coincidence?" Kotero asked. Maybe his little brother was a prodigy after all.

Naruto didn't know what to say. "I don't know. I just felt something dark… Like sadness. A negative force was around here ttebayo. That's it Nii-chan, I really don't know what to say," Naruto admitted.

Kotero was thinking hard. ' _Naruto shouldn't be able to sense yet. It takes far too long to use it for combat or field missions. Maybe he is a genius at this. But… we were only really training the senses, not his chakra sensing. What is this 'negative force' he was talking about?_

 _Naruto would never lie to me about this. Yet, only the experts of sensing can truly determine what people's emotions are like from just feeling their chakra. Hell, I can't even do that, and I've been able to sense for God knows how long… Maybe there is something more to this. We can only find out from more training._ '

Kotero rubbed his face again. It then clicked in his mind. Before Kotero did his water clone, he was going back through his memories to pass the time. Some sad ones must have popped up and made him feel a little depressed.

It only made him wonder more now. How the hell could Naruto feel that? How could the kid even feel sadness or these other negative forces by just standing close to you?

Kotero was wondering if he could do the same or if it's only a 'Naruto' thing. God, sometimes Kotero hated the amount of stuff his brother can do that he can't.

' _Life just isn't fair…_ ' he thought.

The two brothers stayed at the waterfall and trained until the sun was going down. The temperature was falling with time. Naruto could only shiver. His clothes were still damp and full of river water. The only warmth he could feel was the fresh blood bleeding out of his fresh wounds.

Kotero watched Naruto stay on his feet. The boy was struggling to breathe. Kotero knew if he kept this up, Naruto would collapse from mental exhaustion in less than an hour.

Kotero looked up to the sky and saw that darkness has come to greet him. The only natural light was the stars that popped out and the half-crescent moon.

The time flew by, it was far too late for the two. Neither had their dinner yet. This was something that genuinely surprised Kotero. Naruto would complain and complain some more if he didn't get his dinner. Also, Kotero wasn't one to skip on the meal, it was his favourite after all.

The two were just so focused on the training on hand to really think of anything else.

Kotero clapped his hands, alerting Naruto. "Naruto. Training is done for now. We're going home."

As soon as Naruto heard those words, he let his body drop into the water. He was half submerged. He would have gone deeper if it wasn't for Kotero pulling him up and dragging him the river bank.

"Thanks, Nii-chan," Naruto said.

"Don't mention it. Now, let's go home," Kotero said after.

Kotero took off Naruto's blindfold and put the wet cloth into his pocket. He will deal with it later. He then grabbed Naruto and placed him on his shoulders.

Naruto had enough energy and instinctively straightened himself up, using his brother's head for stability.

Kotero smiled as he walked slowly home. His brother would usually complain if he wanted to give him a piggy-back ride. Naruto being so tired must have broken of his all the defences.

"So, how did I do?" Naruto asked.

Kotero lightly laughed before speaking. "Well, to be honest, we made very little progress," he admitted.

Naruto whimpered. "It's going to take forever then ttebayo! What do I need to do to make it better?"

Kotero sighed. Naruto was always the impatient type. If he didn't get what he wanted form someone, he'll try to get it himself or go off and forget about it.

"Just keep practising. Remember when you were downtrodden about your sealing skills, but with enough hard work, you broke through your plateau, your 'brick wall'. With sensing, it is the same thing. There is no sudden change from no sensing to good sensing. It's gradual. You will have a feel for it then you will develop it, so it can be a worthy skill. That's all there is too it," Kotero explained.

"I get that. But do you have any tips to speed it up?"

"Naruto… Listen to what I'm saying here. There is no straight path to achieving this. I already told you what you need to do when we were training by the water. You must feel out the person's chakra. That's it. Everyone has their own unique way of doing it.

But, you will eventually get it. If we improve your chakra control and as you get more experience with missions, it should come easier. Sensing blooms under stress," Kotero said.

Naruto slumped. "I just want to have a cool ability. Sasuke has his Sharingan ttebayo. If I had Sensing, then we would be equal."

Kotero felt the back of his clothes get wet from Naruto's wet clothes. It didn't help that Naruto placed all his weight on him. Kotero thought over the words Naruto said. He also thought of Naruto's tone of voice, he sounded depressed.

"I heard that there's a myth that if an Uchiha can train their Sharingan to such a level, they could see a couple seconds into the future," Kotero said. He moved from the dirt path to the gravel path. Their home was close.

Naruto gasped. That sounded amazing. Realising that, he slumped even more. "Great, now Sasuke can see into the future. Like he needs another ability."

Kotero laughed. "You are so jealous of him Naruto. And it's only a myth, it's most likely not true. The Sharingan just gives the wielder faster reaction times. I bet some people or even the Uchiha themselves said they can see into the future to scare enemies."

"Still though. I don't have those amazing eyes. What do I have?" Naruto asked.

Kotero stopped in his tracks. Naruto was confused.

"Are you ashamed of our blood? I thought you were proud to be an Uzumaki, or was I wrong? We have the blood of the seas and wind. We can have the power to lock and hold down anything in this world. How does the Sharingan compare to that?" Kotero asked with steel in his voice.

"I didn't mean it like that Nii-chan," Naruto said, defending himself. "I just meant-"

"Having huge chakra reserves. Having a quicker regeneration since our blood is so full of life energy. Being able to live over a hundred years if we do not die in battle. I don't know Naruto, I rather have that then the Sharingan," Kotero said.

Naruto felt bad for saying such words before. Kotero started walking again. There was silence between the two brothers.

Naruto finally saw the banner hanging over their door. The Uzumaki swirl displaying itself proudly. Naruto felt uplifted from the red swirl. A smile manifested onto his face.

Kotero turned his head and saw the smile. "See? You are proud of it. And you should be Goddamnit. We have the power to change the world Naruto."

"The power to change the world. You sure?"

"If we stick together. We can do anything. Now, let's get dinner."

 **~ o0o ~**

* * *

 **The Forest of Death**

Naruto opened his eyes. The memory was long. He then grinned. "It's time to flip the world upside-down. But first, I have to get out of this forest."

Naruto moved south with pace. Every few minutes, he would stop and calm his chakra, and try to feel out Sasuke's and Sakura's. Naruto knew that every person would have a unique chakra signature. Relatives would have similarities, but they would still be unique. Naruto didn't know what theirs were like, but he had to try his best to find them by any means.

On the move again, Naruto didn't know if was going in circles or if he was just having rotten luck.

Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks. "What the hell is that?" he wondered out loud. It had a slime like feel to it. He felt around his body but there was nothing to behold.

Naruto tried moving towards where he felt it.

Naruto felt it again. But it was more familiar than he first thought. It was chakra. ' _What's this disgusting chakra!'_ he thought.

Naruto ran like hell towards the source. He was hoping for dear god that it was Sasuke and Sakura fighting some crazy ninja on some performance enhancing drugs. That was one way to make your chakra feel strange, by overdosing or ingesting a strange substance.

Naruto heard a snapping noise. It was like the sound of bark breaking apart from a strong force. "Fight! There must be a fight!" he said. It was the first thing that popped into his mind.

Naruto kept up his pace until he saw a glimmer of grey clothing. Naruto stopped in his tracks and watched down on the scene like a vulture waiting for its prey.

What he saw shocked him. There was Rock Lee on the ground. The same Rock Lee that kicked Sasuke's ass. The worst part was that Lee was battered beyond belief.

Scanning through the area, Naruto picked out the members of Team Ten and Team Nine standing around, most of them were tired. Some were gasping for air.

With the battered Lee on the ground, the clearing was also in a dire state. There were uprooted roots, huge mounds of dirt blown away, pink hair scattered all around.

Naruto looked desperately, and at last, he saw Sakura looking up to Sasuke from the ground. But, this Sasuke was not the same Sasuke Naruto was used to. He was shrouded in purple emissions; his skin was littered with black markings. A sense of evil was in the air.

"This is troublesome…" Shikamaru said under his breath.

 _I want his eyes. Now, I better make myself known to him and the little pink girl._

The words raced through Naruto's mind. This was the work of Orochimaru. Naruto resisted going down and investigating. He didn't want to make the situation worse as it is now. He has to go in at the perfect moment.

"Sasuke-kun! You woke up!" Sakura said then gasped at the sight. Sasuke did indeed stand up, however the purple emissions were spreading everywhere.

Everyone in the vicinity could only stare at Sasuke, bewildered on what was happening. Red marks like flames appeared on his face and arms.

Sasuke took one step forward and looked at the terrible state of his teammate, "Sakura," he said. "Who did that to you?" he asked, in a scarier tone than his usual.

"Sasuke-kun… What's wrong with your body?" Sakura asked as she deflected his question, staring intently at Sasuke. The purple emissions kept wrapping around his body and the red flame like marks turned to black.

Sasuke looked at his left hand with his Sharingan eyes. "Don't worry. More importantly, I feel power surging inside me," he said, clenching his left fist tightly.

"I'm feeling great right now. He gave it to me. I understand it perfectly now. I'm an avenger! I must obtain power no matter what, even if I must let the devil take hold of my body," Sasuke said. He seemed to be staring off to the future.

 _'Sasuke,_ _what's this terrible feeling? This terrible chakra. What did Orochimaru do to you? I will have to stop this,' Naruto thought_

"Sakura! Just say it! Who the hell hurt you!?" Sasuke demanded to know.

Sakura was silent however the others weren't, "I did!" Zaku said with a big grin.

Sasuke looked at Zaku in an instant with his right eye. It was stone cold.

Sasuke then turned his whole body to face the Oto ninja. Ino, who was still in possession, was looking at the scene in confusion.

"INO! Return to your body, you're only going to get the enemies confused. Chōji, you come here too. We're have to hide now!" Shikamaru ordered.

Chōji nodded and jumped to where Shikamaru was. Ino released her jutsu and returned to her body, she scrunched her face in discomfort. "Shikamaru, what's going to happen now?" Chōji asked him.

"How the hell should I know?" Shikamaru shouted at Chōji's face. He lost his composure. Shikamaru had no idea what to do. This scared him greatly.

Sasuke was staring down at Dosu and Zaku, his black flame marks turned red again and spread even further on his body, his power and chakra increasing with it.

"This is too much for us! His chakra is too much!" Dosu said shaking.

"Dosu! Don't be afraid of a half-dead guy!" Zaku said as he prepared for his jutsu.

Dosu turned to his teammate. "No, stop Zaku! You don't understand! He'll kill us all!"

The warning fell on deaf ears.

"I'll kill them all with this! I'll finish this in a flash! **Maximum Air cutter** ," Zaku shouted.

The air blast from his palms were powerful. The force pushed back the limp body of Kin, Dosu had to crouch down to the ground and Team Ten gripped onto the bushes they hid in for dear life.

After five seconds it stopped, there was a trench that followed the path of Zaku's attack. Zaku was heavily breathing and he was sweating profusely.

"Heh, they blew up into pieces," he said with a grin.

"Who did?" Zaku heard before he was hit in the head with a back-handed left closed fist, courtesy of Sasuke. Zaku tumbled back to where Dosu was.

' _This vile chakra has gotten stronger… Damn, I can't let this go on for much longer. My stamina is recovering, but's recovering way too slowly. I better get up soon,'_ Naruto thought.

"Zaku! Below you!" Dosu warned him.

Sasuke flashed to the front of Zaku before gripping his arms and pulling them back. He then moved himself to the back of Zaku and pushed his right foot down on the middle of the back. Zaku was restricted of his movements, he couldn't escape Sasuke's grip.

Sasuke pulled on both Zaku's arms, making the latter groan in pain. All the Konoha Genin couldn't believe this was the Sasuke they knew from the academy.

Sasuke repositioned his foot on Zaku's back and pressed harder. "You seem quite attached to your arms. It would be a shame if they were to be… **ripped off!** " Sasuke said in a creepy voice, his huge grin adding to the horrifying effect.

Zaku turned his head to face Sasuke, his whole demeanour was showing fear. "Please… Don't!" he begged.

Sasuke smirked evilly. He then pulled and twisted Zaku's arms whilst pushing down on his back. Two loud crunches and cracks were heard. Everyone was horrified at the scene. Sasuke broke both of Zaku's arms. Zaku collapsed onto the floor.

Sasuke turned his head to face Dosu. "This just leaves you," he said, making Dosu shiver and shake on the spot. "You better entertain me better than him. Small prey only does so much," he said as he stalked over to Dosu.

"Stop!" Sakura shouted as she ran over to Sasuke and hugged him from behind. Sasuke stopped and looked at her with his right eye, she was crying. "Please stop it," she begged.

Sasuke felt that his blood and chakra calm with the hug, the touch. He could feel his violent intentions waning. His black markings turned red and started to retract.

 **SURGE!**

Sasuke felt a surge of pent up anger and sadness flow through his body, the source from his neck.

Sasuke pushed Sakura away from him and started to trash around like a wild animal. He lost all control.

Sasuke turned on his heel and moved towards Sakura with intent to hurt. Sakura was frozen on the spot. She couldn't understand why Sasuke was like this. Because of this, she lost her ability to think straight and to get out of the way. She closed her eyes from her horror.

"What is that!?" Neji said with confusion. Tenten was confused by the words Neji spoke.

 **SMACK!**

Sakura opened her eyes to see a boy with blond hair with his fist deep in Sasuke's face. "Naruto…" she said weakly. Sakura believed she was imagining what was in front of her.

Sasuke skidded across the floor. His ravaged face stared down at Naruto who was approaching him with pace.

Naruto came in close. Sasuke swung a heavy left swing. Naruto ducked and pushed out Sasuke's right angle, making him unbalanced.

Naruto couldn't believe how easily he got through Sasuke's defence. This Sasuke he was dealing with was much more physically powerful, but his attacks were outrageously sluggish compared to his normal self. Naruto knew it was time for a combo attack.

Naruto clenched his left fist and hit Sasuke's gut. In quick succession, he clenched his right fist and hit Sasuke's gut on the other side. Without wasting a second, Naruto leaned back slightly back. Opening both his hands, he gripped both Sasuke's shoulders and pulled him down hard. Raising his left knee up for a liver kick.

The impact hit and Sasuke regurgitated blood. His body also hunched over from the attack. It is one of the weakest spots to target for any human being. Naruto aimed for this from the beginning.

Naruto jumped back and landed in front of Sakura. He saw that she was in a state of fear and confusion.

Sasuke collapsed from the attack and stayed on the ground. His black markings retracted to the back of his neck. Naruto was keeping an eye on the whole process. He would need to inform his older brother and the Hokage about this.

"Naruto?" Sakura said loudly, surprise was evident in her voice.

The others were shocked as well. The presence of Naruto was not known to them. Neji was quite annoyed that Naruto somehow didn't reveal himself when he was using his activated byakugan.

Sasuke spasmed from the aftermath on the ground and breathed heavily. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said in worry as she held the poor boy up.

Naruto was looking at his teammate with his clear blue eyes. ' _Those marks seemed to take a lot out of him. Sasuke is fitter than most other Genin in our class and it looks like he just sprinted for hours. His chakra felt so unnatural yet powerful. I could feel it._

 _I bet it was that Orochimaru that did something to Sasuke to make him go into a state like that. That's the only explanation. I'll have to ask Sakura later about what happened after we got separated.'_

"You're strong," Dosu said, gaining the attention of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Dosu took out a scroll of Earth and placed it on the floor.

"We cannot defeat you. Let's make a deal. Please let us leave. We might be asking for too much, but we must confirm something. In exchange, I can promise this, if we were to fight for a second time in this exam. We will neither run or hide," Dosu stated as he picked up the bodies of Kin and Zaku and walked off.

"Wait!" Sakura shouted at the Oto team. Naruto looked at his teammate to see what was up with her. "Who is Orochimaru? What did he do to Sasuke-kun!? Why Sasuke-kun?" she demanded to know.

Naruto sighed from the question. It answered his own suspicions. This whole event will greatly affect Konoha, he just knew it.

Dosu turned to look at her, "I do not know. We were just ordered to kill Sasuke-kun," he said before he walked off into a dense part of the forest.

Naruto composed himself, he walked over to where the scroll was and put in his pouch. He looked back to see Ino checking on the fallen Lee.

Sasuke was staring at his shaking left hand, muttering "What was I?" repeatedly to himself. Naruto felt bad for his teammate.

"Oi Naruto," Shikamaru said loudly, gaining the attention of the blond.

Naruto jogged over to where Shikamaru and stood in front of him, "What happened when I was gone?" Naruto asked with crossed arms.

"Sasuke was out cold and Sakura was ambushed by those three Oto ninja. They would've died if it wasn't for Lee. It would explain why he was nearly knocked out when we arrived. Then we came in to save the day. The rest of Lee's team came but then Sasuke went berserk… this is too troublesome," Shikamaru told him.

Naruto nodded and bit his lower lip. "I think I know what happened to Sasuke ttebayo. Nii-chan and Hokage-Jiji need to know about it immediately," Naruto said.

Shikamaru gasped slightly. "Is it that serious?" he asked. Naruto blankly stared at him for two seconds before nodding yes.

"Damn… But what can we do? There's only one day, no there's even less time to when the exam will be finished. We won't be able to see them until then," Shikamaru pointed out.

Naruto stomped his foot, "What!? I was out of it for over three whole days?"

Shikamaru nodded to the question, "Damn!" Naruto spat out.

"Do you have a set of scrolls?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto grinned. "Yes, but Sakura and Sasuke don't know that," he said with a soft laugh at the end.

"What the hell do you mean?" Shikamaru asked, not following his friend completely.

"I'll give you the short version ttebayo. Real genius moves from the number one ninja of the leaf. We were attacked by some guy. A Kusa kunoichi, but it was really Orochimaru in disguise. I saw from above that Sasuke was going to give him our scroll.

I couldn't let this happen so before I ran off, I used the Transformation technique to change an empty scroll into our scroll. I then jumped and grabbed our real scroll after Sasuke threw it and did the old switcheroo.

When I woke up, I tried looking for my other scrolls, my sealing scrolls. They were all gone but the scroll of heaven was still with me. So, the guy took the fake one and destroyed it while I kept the real one dattebayo!" Naruto said enthusiastically, with hand gestures to emphasise his genius move.

Shikamaru sighed at his friend but had to admit that was a good move from Naruto, very unpredictable in an extremely dangerous situation. "And now you have the scroll of Earth. Good, both our teams have a full set," Shikamaru told Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened, "You got a scroll? I'm surprised Shika, I thought you would quit halfway through," he said with a soft smile.

Shikamaru gave Naruto his dirtiest glare.

Naruto's face turned serious. "We should form a party with both our teams and head to the tower together. Chōji, Ino, Sasuke and Sakura are all hurt. It'll be safer if we stick together," Naruto stated with a 'no bullshit' voice.

"I have to agree. It'll be too troublesome to go separately," Shikamaru agreed.

Naruto other looked at the Genin again and saw Tenten shake Lee vigorously. Lee snapped out of his sleep and dropped to the floor but was awake. Naruto walked over to the thick eyebrowed boy.

"Fuzzy eyebrows, do you need medical treatment?" Naruto asked as he crouched beside him, he noticed Tenten tense up as he approached them.

Lee smiled at the blond but shook his head. "No thank you Naruto-kun, my youthful spirit will heal me up," Lee replied tiredly but with a kind smile.

"Naruto? One of your scroll things was dropped near us after we were separated. It's under the grove," Sakura informed him.

Naruto gave her a nod of thanks. He saw that she was cradling Sasuke like a child. He didn't say anything, both needed comfort.

Naruto smiled then sighed, he was drained. He went over to the grove and go this lonely scroll. He walked back to the gathering of his fellow Genin.

Naruto then spread the scroll out. There were many seals, every odd seal had the kanji for 'food' and every even seal had the kanji of 'water'.

He only showed the first two seals, he placed his index finger on the first seal and flowed his chakra into it.

The food storage seal puffed into smoke and a stack of Naruto's brother's energy protein bars appeared. Naruto looked at his fingers and furrowed his eyebrows.

' _Why was that so hard? I really had to force my chakra to flow out there… Must be that seal Orochimaru tried to put on me. I need Nii-chan to look at it,'_ Naruto thought in annoyance. Naruto did the same for the other storage seal and a six-pack of water bottles puffed out.

Naruto took one bar and bottle and was about to dig in until he realised that a few pairs of eyes were looking at him. Naruto sighs, "You can take one if you want," he said before he ate his own bar.

Chōji didn't hesitate to take one of the bars as well as Lee. Before either Ino or Tenten could warn them that it could be poisoned. They munched the soft bars into small bits and swallowed quickly.

Lee took a water bottle and gulped it down to a single drop. Only after a few seconds, energy flowed all over their bodies. Lee was even able to stand up, as if the injuries he had received never happened.

"Yosh! I feel the flames of youth. That bar is magnificent. Naruto-kun has a truly youthful spirit to help out his comrades!" Lee shouted with a shaking raised fist.

Naruto chuckled as he saw everyone bar Ino take a bar. He stood up and saw that Neji has walked over to where Lee and Tenten were. "Yo," he said gaining their attention.

"What are your names? I'm Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto asked as he looked at both Neji and Tenten.

All three Genin looked at the short blond with more focused eyes. "I'm Tenten," Tenten introduced herself after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Hyūga Neji," Neji said, his clear white eyes still looking at Naruto.

' _I'm surprised they haven't recognised my name. Did Kotero-nii not mention me?'_ Naruto thought.

"Well it was nice meeting you. Thanks, Fuzzy eyebrows, we probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," Naruto said then went off with a wave.

The three of them could only stare at Naruto. Naruto looked behind and saw the three of them discussing something quietly and then jumping off back into the deep forest.

Naruto looked back to where the remaining Genin were and saw that Shikamaru and Sasuke were the only ones noticed that they left. Chōji was eating the rest of the bars while Ino was fixing Sakura's short hair

Naruto did a 'come here' hand gesture to Shikamaru. Of course, Shikamaru walked over to Naruto albeit slowly, which infuriated the him.

Once Shikamaru finally stood beside Naruto, Naruto clapped his hands three times to gather the attention on him and Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru and I decided our teams will be going to the tower together," Naruto announced, getting shocked expressions from the four sitting on the dirt ground.

Sakura was the first to speak up, "Naruto, don't you remember that our scroll got destroyed." She said.

Naruto chuckled and took out a white scroll with the kanji of 'Heaven' on it. "Oh, Sakura, you underestimate Team Seven too much," Naruto said with a sweet smile.

Sakura and Sakura were flabbergasted when they saw it. "How?" they both asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "It'll take too long to explain. We have both scrolls as well as Team ten ttebayo. The tower isn't too far but we're all injured so we need time to recover. Shikamaru told me that we have less than a day left so we're going to run to the tower together, yeah?" he said with crossed arms.

"Who made you the leader?" Ino asked a bit heatedly, she did not like being ordered around by anyone.

"I did," Shikamaru replied with the same heated tone This surprised Naruto as his friend was always lazy with his expressions, he saw irritation and slight anger in his friend's eyes. "We better go before we exceed the time limit!"

The two groups of Genin responded by going towards the centre of the Training Grounds, where the tower is supposedly supposed to be.

The Genin teams moved fast. The energy they got from the bars helped immensely.

After an hour's travel, they see a structure cropping out of the forest. It was the central tower!

"Come on, come on! We're nearly there!" Naruto said.

Naruto did look back from the front of the pack and saw Sasuke hiding his struggles. He knew that Sasuke needed a proper rest and food. Sasuke was probably just as starved as he was. It didn't help when a S-class ninjacomes knocking in and beats the ever living crap out of as well. Naruto just knew this will be a very fond memory for Team Seven.

The group responded with faster running through the forest. It took extraordinarily little time to get to the entrance of the tower. Naruto was thankful that they were close to it.

There were multiple doors that circle around the base of the tower. The groups didn't waste time and entered two rooms separately. They knew they'll see each other on the other side.

"What do we do now?" Sakura asked. She was under pressure. Sasuke was using her for support. It was clear he was exhausted.

"Open the scrolls and lay them very each other, trust me I know," Naruto said quickly. ' _Thank you Nii-chan for telling me this!'_ he thought afterwards.

Naruto gave one scroll to Sakura and opened the other himself. They both spread out the scrolls and made a X-shape. The markings on the two scrolls illuminated and a puff of smoke came.

A figure was behind the smoke. The team went into defensive stances. "Well done you guys. You are now in the third round of the Chūnin exams!" the voice of Iruka said. He sounded incredibly pleased.

When Iruka laid eyes on the Genin team after the smoke dissipated, his mouth dropped to the floor. "What happened to you guys!"

Naruto lightly laughed. All of Team Seven were filthy. Their eyes were droopy from exhaustion. "Well… It went a little something like this Iruka-sensei."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	16. Chapter 16 - Showcase Showdown

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

 **Chapter 16 – Showcase Showdown**

Footsteps. The sound of footsteps was the only noise made in the large, empty hall.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"What do you think Naruto? Of course, we are. We wouldn't be lead here if it wasn't. And here I thought you weren't an idiot," Sakura said.

Team Seven were walking through a set of large steel doors. They were dull in colour. Naruto was amazed by the thickness of the doors, they were thicker than Chōji or anyone from the Akimichi clan.

Naruto sighed as he walked ahead of Sakura. Just after Iruka left them alone, until the call to go was announced, Sakura was looking over him for any injuries. Naruto saw she reverted to her usual self. He was only glad she matured by some level. It was nice not being on her bad side all the time.

Sasuke hissed quietly. His hand covered his neck.

Naruto turned around quickly and narrowed his eyes. He saw swelling and signs of bruising. The mark has calmed down from the first time he saw it, but not completely.

Naruto looked ahead and saw the rest of the passed Genin teams standing in single files. There were six other teams.

Team Seven stood between Team Eight and Team Gai. Naruto could feel the hostility between Neji to his right and Kiba to his left. Naruto's eye's widened as he looked at Kiba from head to toe, he was spotless. There wasn't any sign of fighting whatsoever. Kiba and his team looked as fresh as ever.

The doors closed behind the group and made a loud noise.

"Congratulations you all," Anko said. She had a microphone attached to her headset. She shifted her weight to her right hip and smiled at the Genin in front of her. "You did well on passing the second exam."

Anko looked at the seven teams in her sight. She was surprised that many Genin passed. She was expecting a single figure.

"Your students made an impressive showing! I wonder how much of it was dumb luck. Not that it matters. My team is bound to knock them out in the next round," Gai said. He had a proud smile. "At the next level, it will be all about their abilities… or lack of them. Ah, youth, sometimes being young is all about learning to deal with heartbreak, eh, Kakashi?"

Kakashi cleaned his ear. "Gai? Did you say something?" he asked with no emotion.

Gai scrunched up his face and clenched his fist. He muttered "Your stupid 'cool' act," repeatedly.

Naruto saw that many of the Genin were looking at the different sensei and other Genin in the hall. Everyone was eyeing each other up. He could feel it on the back of his neck. The tension was growing. And soon it will pop.

Anko stood forward and gathered everyone's attention. "Now Hokage-sama himself will explain about the Third Exam. Listen up and take every word he says to heart," she said loudly.

Hiruzen walked from his spot and stood to the centre. Everyone could see him and were focusing.

"They're all yours Hokage-sama."

"Very well," the Hokage said. He sucked in some of his pipe and then blew some out. "The Third Examination is about to-"

 **KREEN!**

Everybody in the room turned their focus to the steel doors. A man appeared.

 **WUMPTH!**

The door was nearly closed. The pushed back air made a loud noise as it moved through the room.

The man walked towards the gathering of people. Naruto saw closely. Crimson hair, cold purple eyes. It was his older brother, Kotero.

Kotero had his hands in his pockets. He was walking at a comfortable pace, not too slow or too fast.

There were a few gasps between the Genin. Naruto saw that Lee and Tenten were quite happy to see his older brother.

"Who's that guy?" Sakura asked as she watches. She never saw him before.

"Sakura, that's the 'Crimson Leaf'. He's one of Hokage-sama's strongest and most trusted ninja," Ino told her. "I wonder why he's doing here... He doesn't have a Genin team."

Sakura gasped. She didn't believe he was real when she heard of the tales. They were so outrageous that you couldn't blame the girl. But, seeing him in the flesh, it made her lose her words.

"What is he doing here!?" Kankuro whispered. "We were told that he would be out of the village."

Temari was quiet. Her eyes showed worry. "I know she said. Things might go badly," she said.

Gaara was staring at Kotero with bloodlust. He heard all the rumours. A small smile appeared on his face.

"There's one more name he goes by now because of recent events," Kabuto said as he pushed his glasses up. "Red Demon."

Sasuke and Neji focused their eyes on Kotero. He just got a lot more interesting and quickly.

Tenten had a happy smile on her face. Lee was excited, noted by his clenched and shaking fist. His eyes were on fire with passion.

Chōji and Shikamaru felt a sense of calm flow over them. They were happy to see their "bro" again.

Sakura was still staring at him with a slacked-jaw.

Kiba, Shino and Hinata were all watching him with passive expression. They all knew their parents had spoken and are on good terms with him.

Kiba was interested in Kotero. Tsume, his mother, spoke very highly of him and said that Kiba should follow his example to become a good man. _'What does she know?'_ he thought.

Kotero walked between Team Seven and Team Gai. He kept his face forward and didn't look at Naruto or the other Genin.

This confused Naruto.

' _Why is he so serious? Something bad must have happened, something really bad, but what?'_ Naruto thought as he watched his brother. Naruto noticed that Kotero didn't have either of his swords. It was strange not to see them close by.

Kotero walked to and stopped in front of the Hokage. He whispered some words into the old man's ears. Naruto couldn't hear a thing. His fatigue was making it hard to be aware. His vision has been hazy since his little bout with Sasuke.

Hiruzen nodded his head. Kotero walked to the free spot beside Asuma and stood there. Naruto saw that his eye's switched to him. He didn't show it, but Naruto knew Kotero was looking at his condition. Checking every detail.

Asuma placed his hand on Kotero's shoulder, making the latter look at him. "How was it?"

"How was what?" Kotero asked. "You have to be more concise."

Asuma sighed and shook his head. "I know you went that town. Kusatsu Onsen up close to the northern border. Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Kotero bit his lower lip before he answered. "I didn't… I just didn't want to bring any negativity," he said.

Asuma squeezed Kotero's shoulder harder and brought his mouth close to Kotero's ear. "We're friends, idiot. That girl you liked, what was her name? Kumi? Yeah, I remember you telling me about her. Did you visit her grave?" he asked.

Kotero nodded slowly. "I did."

Asuma released his grip and dusted his hands lightly. "How was the town? Was there any sign of it being rebuilt?" he asked.

Kotero sighed. "No. It's still all black. Everything and everyone was consumed by the landslide and fire. The forests surrounding the dead town have started to regrow though. It was around this time three years ago when it happened," he said. "But it feels like it was like a decade ago."

Kotero felt his hair get ruffled. He turned his head slightly and saw the smile on Asuma's face. "Good. That means you are far from the past and enjoying your life. I know I can't bring back her or your mother, but I'll always be here for you," he said. "I mean it."

Kotero grinned and nodded slowly, his emotions brightened up drastically. "Thanks man. I never got to say goodbye. Hopefully I will be able to say the words once I die," he said.

Asuma chuckled. "I don't want you to die anytime soon. Here, we should quiet down. Looks like Tou-san is finishing up with the usual speech."

Kotero agreed with a hum and smile. He looked and focused on the Hokage speaking with the Genin. He noticed that some of the Genin's facial expressions showed shock and worry. Naruto looked as cool as a cucumber. Kotero was glad the pressure wasn't getting to his little brother.

"Forgive my interruption Hokage-sama, but if you don't mind handing the rest to me, the proctor of this exam," Hayate said. He was bowing to the Hokage.

The Hokage nodded and walked back and stood between the two divided groups of Jōnin. "Go ahead."

"I'm glad that's over. I would have fallen asleep," Kotero whispered to Asuma's ear.

Asuma sighed and nodded sluggishly. He was on the same boat.

Hayate turned around and faced the Genin. "Good to meet you all, I'm Gekko Hayate. Before we start, I must ask you all to do something for me. You see, there are some preliminaries to the proper exam. And whether you proceed will depend how well you perform."

"Preliminaries! What the hell!?" Shikamaru roared out. He has had enough from the forest, all he wanted to do is sleep and cloud-watch.

"Matches before the true third round. You see, there are still too many participants. It is tradition to have preliminaries if the number is too high. There are a number of high-ranking guests, so the exam must be intense and fast-paced," Hayate said.

He then coughed into his hand. "If anyone doesn't feel up to the challenge. The door is behind you. Step forward and leave, because the preliminaries will start right away."

"What the hell!? Like, right now!?" Kiba shouted out. He was shocked to the core.

Naruto inhaled and exhaled. He looked up to Kotero who was still looking at him. They shared eye contact. Naruto stood his ground, he could feel Kotero's confidence flow through him.

Kotero saw a very subtle nod to his left. He looked more closely. It was a male Jōnin with a ponytail and pale skin. He was unrecognisable. Kotero never saw him before in his life.

' _Oto… Strange…'_

"Well, I'm outta here then!" Kabuto said with a smile and a raised hand.

"Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha? Fine, you can go," Hayate said. "Oh yeah, I should have said this earlier. You will be fighting on your own and not as a team. So, you don't have to worry about anyone else."

Kotero saw there was muttering in the team of Kabuto's. To the side, Anko was also talking about his dismal ninja record.

Kotero's eyes moved again to Kabuto. It didn't make any sense to him at all. The young man is tired yes, but exhausted was not even close. He had plenty of stamina left. Kotero could also feel his chakra, he had large reserves for a Genin. It was more like a veteran Chūnin's, or even a Jōnin's.

' _Amazing build for a Genin. His chakra is quite strong._ _He could possibly match Kurenai's. What a strange character,'_ Kotero thought as he observed the young man.

Kabuto walked through the crowd and gave a wave to the Genin

Sasuke hissed again and grabbed his neck. Sakura looked worried and frightened. She didn't know what to do.

Naruto could hear the groan of his friend behind him. Naruto didn't say a word. Sasuke must not want to talk about what happened between him and Orochimaru.

Kotero focused his eyes onto Sasuke. It was clear the boy was in immense pain. Kotero saw a tomoe mark of black, but only for a second. He knew what it was immediately. Kotero saw enough of it with Anko. _'So… Orochimaru couldn't keep his fangs off his prize. Anko was right all along that he has returned. Things are not looking good Jiji,_ ' Kotero thought.

"Oh, it looks like no one else is leaving. Great…" Hayate said.

Naruto could hear a conversation happening behind him between Sakura and Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun maybe you should quit. Ever since that fight, you've been in so much pain. You haven't been the same. Please… please I'm so afraid. You're in no shape to fight," Sakura pleaded.

Sasuke grunted in pain before he could speak. He saw Sakura was crying. "Shut up!"

"You leave me no choice. I'll tell the teachers about that mark and then-"

Sasuke grabbed Sakura's arm fiercely and kept her still. "Keep your damn mouth shut! Do not say a word about the mark!" he said with grit.

More tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why do you always have to act so strong? I can't bear to see you suffer any more than you have to!"

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "It is my decision and it's not even your business! This pain is my burden to carry alone."

Sakura wanted to speak up, but Sasuke didn't let her. "Remember what I am Sakura? I'm an avenger. This is just a mere test. Achieving the rank of Chūnin means nothing. _'Am I strong enough?'_ that is all that matters to me now. I need to find those answers as soon as possible. I'm here to test myself against the best of the best," Sasuke said as he looked around, seeing all his new rivals. "And the best opponents I could find are all around us, here and now."

Sakura clenched her fist over her chest. "But Sasuke-kun-"

"Not even your sake will I turn away from the path that leads to my dream. Naruto."

Naruto turned his head to see Sasuke smiling to him, eyes pointing slightly down.

"You too are one of the ones I want to fight. I need to fight the ones I recognise as strong."

Naruto didn't know what to feel. On one hand, he was unsettled, anxious at the prospect. Sasuke wasn't in the best condition. This could be from that strange mark on his neck.

On the other hand, Naruto wanted to fight Sasuke as well. He has for a long time. They were rivals through and through. Fire and wind, Uchiha and Uzumaki. They were both on the same level.

Naruto's desire for a battle was new to him. He can understand now why his brother loves this feeling.

"I want to fight you too Sasuke," Naruto said as he turned his head back to the front.

Sasuke hissed in pain once again and grabbed the curse mark.

Kotero saw the chat and smiled internally. His face kept its blank expression. He then saw Ibiki speak to the Hokage. Anko came over to the Hokage's other side.

"Pull him out of the exam. Quarantine him and put ANBU Black OPs guards all around his hospital room," Anko suggested.

"And you really think he'll just go quietly if you order him? Keep in mind that he's a member of the Uchiha clan," Kakashi said as he walked over to Anko.

"Don't talk nonsense! I'll stop him by force if I-"

"Anko. Please listen to what-"

"No Hokage-sama! This is a matter that-"

"Anko!" Kotero said loudly. Everyone in the hall became quiet. They all looked up to see Kotero staring down Anko with cold steel eyes. "Drop it," he said with a chill.

Anko didn't know what to say. Half of her wants to be quiet and the other wants to tear off Kotero's head. She sighed in defeat. _'He is the one who sealed my one. I'll trust you on this Kotero. Or else I'll scalp your ass,'_ she thought afterwards.

"Show-off," Asuma muttered under his breath. He broke the end of his used cigarette and took out another one. Lighting it, Asuma moved his eyes back to his Genin.

Hayate coughed and gathered the attention back to him. "Well then, looks like we can begin the preliminaries. These will be one on one battles. No outside help is allowed," Hayate did a quick scan of the crowd, "As there are twenty Genin remaining, there will be ten rounds. The victors will be the ones who advance to the third exam," he said.

The Genin took in the news. Some gulped.

Hayate spoke once again. "Each pair of fighters will fight until one of them is dead or unconscious or even admits defeat. As soon as you feel overpowered, concede. Your life is more valuable alive rather than dead. We don't want a bloodbath so there may be cases where I or others may step in to end the match. Don't count on it though."

Anko received a message through her ear-piece. "Open it," she ordered.

 **RUMBLE!**

Every Genin looked up to the huge wall in front of them. An electronic display appeared.

"This will display the names of two Genin and they will compete against each other," Hayate turned around to see the Hokage give him a nod. "Not to hurry the house of slaughter. But, the two first names will appear any time now."

The lights came on. The dots matched up and there was a ding.

* * *

 **Uchiha Sasuke vs Akado Yoroi**

"Come on you two. Those who were called come forward. Everyone other than the two Genin should move to the upper gallery now," Hayate ordered.

Sasuke and Yoroi moved to stand beside Hayate. The others started to move away from the participants called. The fighting arena started to brew up the tension.

"The time for the dance has finally come Asuma… Today is only one day that will determine the future," Kotero said.

"Yes, you're right," Asuma said. He let out a whiff of smoke. "I wish you had Genin as well. We could have our own little competition then."

"Maybe in the future. You and I could have new teams. Then we'll see. Time to go," Kotero sighed as he left his spot. Kotero walked with pace to reach the group of Genin. "Naruto come on! We have to get the best spot," he said as he walked.

Naruto nodded and moved from his spot. "Ok Nii-chan," he said as he walked to his brother's side.

"Kotero-sensei, how do you know that guy?" Tenten asked him.

Kotero stopped and turned his heel. He went over to where Naruto was and ruffled his hair. "It's because Naruto is my little brother," he said.

Memories flashed through all members of Team Gai.

 _I'm Uzumaki Kotero, currently I am a Jōnin of Konoha. I like my little brother, training, and learning._

Tenten pointed her finger at Naruto with shocked eyes. "You mean… You can't possibly mean that he's the same little brother you were talking about!?"

Kotero narrowed his eyes on the girl. "Why not? We do share the same family name. Naruto is the little brother I told you guys about. Now Naruto, we better go. The show is about to start," Kotero said as he went off. Naruto followed his lead.

Neji narrowed his eyes on the two. The piece of information could have been useful. He was annoyed at himself that he didn't connect the dots. It was clear that the two were obviously related.

"I understand now," Lee smacked his fist into his open hand. "Naruto-kun is such a splendid ninja since he hails from the same family as Kotero-sensei. I now wish to test my limits against Naruto-kun," he said excitedly.

"No way, there's just no possible way that they're related!" Ino said to her team.

Shikamaru poked out some wax from his ear. "Well it's the truth. Kotero-aniki and Naruto come over to dinner all the time. Kaa-san consider them her lost children," he told her. "I'm still convinced she loves them more than me."

Chōji nodded in agreement. He and his father really enjoyed both Uzumakis company.

Ino still couldn't believe it. She considered herself the best gossiper of Konoha, it annoyed her to no end how this piece of juicy information slipped past her.

Sakura was speechless. To her it made no sense either. "Naruto never said a thing," she whispered.

"He didn't say a thing because he wanted you to know Naruto for who he truly is. He wanted to tell you for a while honestly," Kakashi told her.

Kakashi went over to Sasuke's ear. "Don't think about Naruto or his brother now. It'll will only distract you. And, don't use your Sharingan."

"How did you know?" Sasuke asked.

"Doesn't matter now. Don't let it run wild. The consequences will change your life."

"I figured as much." The kid was smart. Sasuke knew these things didn't come without a price. "So, taijutsu only," he said.

Kakashi nodded with a hum. "Sasuke, if there is any sign of it, the match will be called, and your opponent will win. I will be forced to stop you. Please, for both of our sakes, don't use it."

Sasuke gripped his neck and was in deep thoughts.

Kakashi went up the stairs to meet up with the rest of his team. He saw Kotero just behind the rails with his arms crossed. His eyes were staring at Sasuke's neck. The man was concerned for Sasuke. Kakashi couldn't blame him.

Kakashi went over and stood beside him. "What do you think?"

Kotero inhaled through his nose and then exhaled. "Sasuke is in terrible condition. He needs that mark sealed as soon as possible and treatment for his wounds. Though, he is heavily fatigued. Nothing major with the bruises and cuts. When this match is finished, I'll go and seal it," Kotero said.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I can do it. You should watch Naruto's match. It's my responsibility as his sensei," he said.

Kotero sighed. "Fair enough. Doesn't completely solve the problem though."

Kakashi nodded in agreement and moved to where Sakura was. She was by herself but close to Naruto.

"Sensei? Will Sasuke be okay?" she asked.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry Sakura. Let's cheer for Sasuke now."

Hayate's cough broke the conversion on the balconies. "Match one, Begin!"

Yoroi took out shuriken and threw them swiftly at Sasuke. Sasuke's quick reaction speed allowed him to deflect the shuriken with a kunai with ease.

Pain strikes Sasuke from his mark and he tripped. Yoroi saw the opening and flashed to Sasuke's spot. Sasuke was fast enough to roll and dodge the fearsome punch.

Sasuke stopped his rolling by stabbing the ground with his kunai. Using it as a focal point, Sasuke's legs tripped Yoroi. Sasuke proceeded to armbar Yoroi to immobilize him.

The observers were impressed with the close combat.

Sasuke's grip was loosening however, not noticed by many. Soon, Yoroi was able to overpower Sasuke and throw him off with a back handed fist.

"What happened to Sasuke-kun, he had him down on the floor?" Sakura asked.

"You're right. But that Yoroi kid has a special ability," Kotero said. The Genin on the balconies were confused. "Don't worry you lot, you'll see it soon. It'll suck the life out of you."

Yoroi did not spend any time wasting and grabbed Sasuke's forehead. Using his strength, he pinned Sasuke to the ground.

As the few seconds went by, Sasuke was appearing more fatigued. Drained of energy. His eyebrows furrowed. Sasuke kicked Yoroi in the chest to push him back. He got what he needed, some breathing space.

Sasuke was struggling to get onto his feet.

"Is this all you can do? Uchiha Sasuke?" Gaara said. His arms were crossed, his eyes were dull from boredom.

Naruto hated the sight of his teammate like this. He was supposed to be strong and mighty, not weak and on the floor. Naruto smacked the rail, "How can you call yourself Uchiha Sasuke! You're a disgrace to yourself. Everyone is going to think you're a big loser. GET UP!" he shouted.

Kotero smiled at the words. His little brother was feisty and loud, but he spoke the truth.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the words. Then he relaxed with a smile.

Yoroi came in quick with his palm ready to suck out Sasuke's chakra. The majority felt this was it.

 **SMACK!**

Sasuke's left foot hit Yoroi's chin cleanly. The strike was powerful enough to take Yoroi off his feet. Sensing the opportunity, Sasuke jumped up after him with speed.

There were some gasps among the crowds. The move was familiar to them.

"That's my…" Lee stuttered. He was genuinely surprised.

Yoroi was soaring through the air flat on his back. Suddenly, Sasuke flashed to his underneath. This was the beginning of Yoroi's end.

"This is your end," Sasuke said.

Sasuke finger-jabbed the back of Yoroi's liver.

Sasuke's next move stopped as uncontrollable pain circulated around his neck. Red flame marks appeared and grew out of his curse mark.

Anko stepped forward. Kakashi was moving into position. They were prepared to call off the match.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and focused. He would not let this consume him. The pain was only an obstacle to his goal.

The flames went back as quick as they came out. The Jōnin were amazed at the spectacle.

Kotero grinned. "He's some kid Kakashi."

Sasuke grinned himself. He was ready. Sasuke rolled his body and delivered a kick to Yoroi's left side. Sasuke pushed hard, then he rolled again in the opposite direction. The kick opened Yoroi's guard. Sasuke then delivered a closed fist strike to Yoroi's face.

Yoroi was heading to the ground. His defence was broken. He was wide open.

Sasuke grabbed a hold of him and they went down together faster. Releasing at the perfect time, Sasuke gave himself some room do a rolling hammer kick straight to Yoroi's abdomen. "Barrage of Lions!" Sasuke said loudly.

Yoroi was out cold from the fearsome attack. It was simply too much. Sasuke skidded across the ground. His breathing was ragged but he was still clearly conscious.

"I'm calling this match. Akado Yoroi is unable to battle. Uchiha Sasuke is the winner!" Hayate announced.

Kakashi body-flickered to the ground. He made sure Sasuke didn't fall unconscious.

"Hmph. That was sorta cool," Naruto admitted.

"Sorta? I thought it was very cool. His taijutsu was particularly good considering his condition. And that's a strong combo. You would be wise to learn from it," Kotero said. "If he was rested, it would have been a no contest. Naruto, you have an exceptionally good rival in him."

"I know Nii-chan. I know," Naruto said.

Kakashi was whispering to Sasuke and the arena floor. Kotero saw to the side that Gai and his team were in deep thoughts.

On the other balcony, the Oto team were glaring at Sasuke with their Sensei looking very keen on the boy. The Suna team were bored on the other hand. Kotero saw Gaara looking interested in Sasuke.

Kotero sighed. "This could be trouble…"

Kakashi body-flickered away with Sasuke as the medical corps were coming in with a gurney.

Naruto looked at Sakura. She looked uneasy and uncomfortable. Naruto poked his brother's leg. Kotero looked down and saw nudging his head towards Sakura.

Kotero read the message loud and clear. "Oi, Kakashi's girl. Come here," he said. Sakura's eyes widened before coming to stand in front of Kotero.

"What is it Kotero-sama?" she asked.

Kotero was taken aback. He wasn't used to being called that at all. It felt wrong.

"Haruno Sakura, right? I heard about you from Naruto. Since Kakashi isn't here yet. I'll keep an eye on you," he said.

"Thank you, Kotero-sama," Sakura said. She then moved close beside Naruto on the rails.

Kotero sighed heavily. "Please Sakura, don't call me that."

Kotero clapped his hands to gather both Naruto's and Sakura's attention. "Alright. Naruto, Sakura, this is the perfect time to analyse your potential opponents. These matches will show us how ninja train from different clans and villages. Watch carefully, you could be facing anyone in front of you in the final round,"

"Yes Kotero-san," Sakura said with some spirit.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement and waited for the next match to start.

The electronic display filtered through many flashes before it stopped.

 **DING!**

Everyone looked up to the screen.

* * *

 **Zaku Abumi Vs Aburame Shino**

"My turn has come," Shino said as he off to the stairs and went ahead to descend.

"Good luck Shino. Do Team Eight proud," Kurenai encouraged.

Zaku jumped from his balcony and onto the ground floor.

"What happened to his arms? They look like they were completely snapped," Kotero asked as he looked the Genin. Zaku didn't look like he was in the most comfortable mood as of right now.

"Sasuke-kun fought him," Sakura said. "He saved me."

Kotero looked to his side and saw the young girl struggling to say those words. It must have been bad in the forest. He looked back to the two Genin on the ground floor. They were staring each other off.

Naruto was feeling weird vibes across the hall. He looked and saw the Oto Sensei disappear. "Nii-chan," he called.

"I know. I saw it too. Good eyes little man," Kotero said with a smile. Kotero turned to Naruto and focused on him. "Naruto, are feeling okay? You look a little pale."

Naruto felt his brother's hand go to his forehead. "I'm fine Nii-chan. I'm just really… really tired."

Kotero hummed before turning back to the fight. His worry grew.

Hayate coughed into his arm and brought the two Genin together. "Okay you may begin," he called.

Zaku took out his left arm from his sling and launched himself at Shino. He swung it hard, hoping for a clean hit.

Shino didn't move and reacted well. He raised his right arm and blocked the strike.

Kotero, Naruto and the others watched the two Genin carefully. This was a strange match-up, but it was interesting.

"Oh? Shino made that kid mad," Kotero said with a small smile.

"Just shut up! See how you like this!" Zaku shouted. Pressurised air shot out like a canon from his open palm. It had tonnes of destructive force.

Shino rolled over with dust-clouds blowing off him. All of Team Eight were surprised from the attack.

"Shino doesn't like using taijutsu, does he?" Naruto asked.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You were the one that went to the academy with him. You should know more than me. But you're right. Aburame ninja are proficient on their bug ninjutsu. Their other skills would be lacking. He could have ended the fight the moment he blocked that Oto kid's swing."

"He could have ended it that early?" Sakura asked.

Kotero nodded to the question. "Sakura, in a battle, it is usually one's mistake that leads to their death. That Oto kid's attack opened his defence completely. If Shino used some ruthless taijutsu, the match would have been over. The kid's right arm is already broken, he's in a very weak state. Shino must have a plan to not do so."

"Or he couldn't. Nii-chan, Shino might only be good at that bug ninjutsu ttebayo. Maybe his taijutsu is so weak that he would lose if he tried so," Naruto said.

"Maybe. But let's wait and see. I'm excited about what come's next," Kotero said as he rested on the rail.

Shino stood back up. There was a cut on his face. No blood flowed out. Only Kikaichu bugs.

"Yuck! Bugs are nasty!" Ino said with a pale face.

There was a horde of buzzing noises behind Zaku. He turned around to see an army of the same bugs. This was Shino's plan. Zaku was trapped with no way out.

"A pincer movement. Very impressive," Gai said. It was a good strategy.

"Yeah. Kurenai, you have a smart kid there," Kotero said as he watched.

"I know. I'm grateful that he's on my team," Kurenai said with a smile. She was overjoyed that her fellow Jōnin enjoyed Shino's display of his power.

The crowd all around were listening on the fight. Shino was tormenting Zaku, persuading for him to give up.

Zaku was growing more and more frustrated. He couldn't keep it in him any longer. "Who the hell you think you're talking to!? You want to see a backup plan!"

Zaku spread both of his arms out. Pointing both at Shino and the army of bugs. He was moulding up his chakra to fire. His big attack.

Shikamaru sighed. "It seemed like he had something up his sleeve after all. Shino will win," he declared.

"How can you call it so soon? Shino hasn't moved!" Ino shouted to him.

Zaku charged up his air attack.

 **FWUP!**

The sound of flesh ripping apart made it's note throughout the hall. Zaku's right arm from the elbow down fell off. The arm fell and landed onto the ground. Blood was spraying everywhere. The artery was destroyed.

"Oh, my goodness!" Sakura whispered as she covered her mouth. She was stunned. She turned pale from the sight.

The bugs came out of the air pipes from Zaku's arm.

"Fuck me… Would you look at that! Blocking the pipe so the build-up of pressure would have to escape through the pipe wall and then the arm. Shino will go far," Kotero said.

Others turned away from the sight. Blood was spluttering out of the torn off arm and the wound on Zaku. He was about to collapse.

Shino appeared to his side. "That is a true back-up plan!" Shino's fist smacked into Zaku's jaw and the latter flew to the ground cold. The brutality ended.

"This is over. Match winner, Aburame Shino," Hayate called. "Get Medical Corp here stat!"

Shino went off and climbed up the stairs back to his team. Medical ninja came and picked up the dying Zaku. They brought him out immediately for treatment.

Naruto saw Team Eight were congratulating Shino on his victory. It was nice to see that the team got along well enough. It was even better seeing Shino making Kiba mad.

"Yo, I'm back," a puff of smoke revealed Kakashi with a hand salute.

"Kakashi-sensei, how's Sasuke-kun, where is he?" Sakura demanded to know.

"He's sleeping in the hospital. He should be fine," he told her. Kakashi saw that a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Sakura looked a lot calmer. Tranquil in fact.

"But he's guarded by a Black OPs ANBU team," Kakashi whispered to Kotero's ear.

Kotero nodded. He lightly laughed afterwards. "If it's good enough for the Daimyō, it's good enough for Sasuke," he said.

"Did I miss much?" Kakashi asked his team.

"No. But Shino won his fight," Naruto told him. "The dude's arm came off. It was so cool!"

Kotero rubbed his face. "He's still a kid Kotero. Don't lecture him here and now," he muttered under his breath.

"Wasn't it cool Nii-chan!?" Naruto said.

Kotero smiled quickly and nodded his head. "Yeah… It was super cool."

Kakashi lightly laughed at the scene. "What will fate choose as the next round?" Kakashi said.

The electronic display flickered through many lights once again.

Everyone waited with much anticipation. It will be hard to outperform Shino's show of gore.

* * *

 **Inuzuka Kiba vs Uzumaki Naruto**

 **BA-BUMP!**

Kotero moved his hand and rested it on his chest, over his heart. It started to beat much faster. "Oh my… I'm getting nervous for this."

Naruto smacked his clenched fist into his open palm and jumped on the spot. "Yes! I was getting sick of waiting. Finally, it's my turn!"

Kiba smacked the railings with both his fists. His grin was large. The boy's large canine teeth were showing themselves off. "Hell yeah! We got lucky. It's Naruto. We scored big time here Akamaru!" Kiba said with confidence.

Akamaru barked happily from inside Kiba's jacket.

 **COUGH!**

Naruto coughed into his left arm. Kotero saw that Naruto had a violent one. Kotero pulled on Naruto's arm and looked at the coughed spot. There was darkened blood. He kneeled to get a better look.

Kotero narrowed his eyes on the bloodied spot, it ruined Naruto's blue shinobi shirt. He then to Naruto. Naruto's face was of one of a guilty dog's.

Kotero sighed. "This looks like the aftereffect of Arsenic poisoning… But your skin tone is getting lighter instead of darker. Naruto, do you feel dizzy or have any abdominal pain?" he asked.

Naruto nodded his head slowly. "That Orochimaru guy put a… What was it again? A Death Seal on me I think, but I'm not dead yet. So, I should be fine, right?" he whispered.

Kotero's eyes widened. He gulped loudly. His hands started to tremble. "Naruto… How is your seal? It's not damaged, right?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I checked it. It looked fine to me."

Kotero furrowed his eyebrows. _'If the seal is damaged… We would need to break it and seal the Kyūbi again with a new one. But I would need someone with the sealing skills of the Yondaime Hokage. Wait… break the seal holding back the Kyūbi!? Even that is too dangerous! What the hell am I thinking!? That's crazy!'_ he thought.

Kotero exhaled and stared directly into Naruto's eyes. "Do you think you can fight and win? If you don't, we're leaving and getting you to the hospital," Kotero said with seriousness. His whole-body language told Naruto that he was being dead serious.

Naruto nodded. He then grinned. "I can do this Nii-chan. Even with this problem. I can do it!" Naruto reassured him.

Kotero closed his eyes and thought of the situation in detail. Kotero slapped Naruto's shoulders and smiled. "Alright then! Don't use your chakra for any jutsu until we go to the hospital! Go for it Naruto," Kotero said. Kotero then stood back up and puts his hands in his pockets.

Kiba was about to jump down but was held back by Kurenai. "Kurenai-sensei! What gives?" he barked out.

Kurenai sighed and focused her eyes on Kiba. "Be wary of your opponent. He may not look it but he's dangerous," she said. The warning was loud and clear.

Kiba grinned after he laughed. "Please, look at him. He barely can stand. This is a win in the bag. Come on Akamaru, we're going to win this!" Kiba said as he jumped off the ledge.

Kakashi narrowed his eye on Kurenai. "He's a feisty one, isn't he Kurenai?" he said. His tone was a teasing one.

Kurenai scoffed. "Just don't underestimate him Kakashi. I'm not underestimating your student, but it does look like he is clearly disadvantaged."

Kakashi sighed. "How so?"

Kurenai crossed her arms. "He looks like he will pass out soon enough. And he coughed up some blood. Maybe he is not ready to be a Chūnin after all and should give up."

Laugher was heard. Both Kurenai and Kakashi turned to Kotero. He was looking at Kurenai. His smile was friendly, but his eyes were deadly cold.

"Unfortunately for your mutt, I mean your lovely student. It's in an Uzumaki's blood to love and relish a challenge. It has been since ancient times. Naruto won't go down without a fight. You should know this yourself… Kurenai," Kotero said.

There was tension between them. The other Jōnin felt uncomfortable.

Kotero moved his eyes to Naruto who was still standing beside him. "Are you going to go? You're keeping everyone waiting."

Naruto exhaled and grabbed onto the rail. He was about to jump until he heard his voice again.

"Show him your power. Show everyone here your potential. Good luck Naruto!" Kotero encouraged with a whisper into Naruto's ear.

Naruto smiled and jumped down. He was pumped. Ready for battle.

Sakura grabbed the railing. "Don't you dare let that loser beat you Naruto! Sasuke-kun and I want you in the finals," she shouted.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry guys hehe."

Kotero smiled and patted Sakura's head, surprising her. "I'm not. I'm glad that Naruto has a cheerleader," he said with a smile. Kotero laughed after and rested his arms on the railing.

Sakura narrowed her eyes on Kotero. She did not appreciate the comment whatsoever. The urge to hit Kotero's head with her fist was great, but her fear of getting punched back was even greater. She heard the stories that the famous ninja didn't know how to hold back. Sakura didn't want to risk it.

Team Ten came closer to Team Seven and Kotero. Shikamaru came up and rested beside Kotero on the rails. Asuma walked over to Kakashi.

Kotero saw that Shikamaru was slumping more than usual.

"What's wrong?" Kotero asked.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's worrying. Naruto has a good chance of losing. He can't lose."

Kotero exhaled. "He can't, or shouldn't? What happened before has no meaning now. What will determine the winner is what happens on the battlefield. Remember that Shikamaru, it will be one of the greatest lessons anyone can give you."

Shikamaru sighs again. "You're such a troublesome person, Kotero-aniki."

Kotero lightly laughed. "You and Chōji have to try and win your own matches. Naruto will want to see you on the other side."

Asuma stepped in. "You sure have a lot of confidence in Naruto. Even though you act that his condition is going to make him lose."

Kotero laughed hard. He stops and looks at Kiba and Naruto on the battle floor. "Of course. I must believe in him no matter what. I will always have his back. That's what being a Nii-chan is being about."

Naruto walked to his spot. Kiba was already waiting for him with Akamaru by his side.

Hayate was bored and wanted to get the show on the road. He stood up straight and stretched his neck. A loud crack resonated through the hall.

Kiba puts down Akamaru from his jacket and placed the dog on the floor. Akamaru growled at Naruto. He already targeted him as Kiba's enemy.

Naruto rolled his shoulders and shook his arms to get them loose. "A two-on-one? Looks like I'll be getting a handicap," he said. His voice was serious. His mind and eyes were focused.

The audience in the stands were surprised that the hyper ninja calmed down to such a state.

Kiba clicked his tongue. "Who does the bastard think he is? Akamaru, sit this one out. One should be enough for him."

Akamaru whined quietly before hopping back slightly.

Naruto's facial expression stayed the same. "Suit yourself."

Kiba grinned and clenched his fist. "Don't worry Naruto. I'll be merciful and finish you off fast. No need to drag it out," Kiba said. His voice was filled with hostility.

Naruto cracked his knuckles before leaving them to his sides. "Good to hear. I have plans later."

Kiba growled. Naruto's comebacks were pissing him off. "You're not fooling anyone with the 'cool' act. Now, let me finish you off."

Kiba moved his body to his fighting stance. The look of a wild animal. His eyes wanted to hunt the prey in front.

Hayate coughed into his hand. He looked at Kiba and then Naruto. "Alright. The third match. Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto. Let the match begin!" Hayate called before jumping back.

As soon as the call was said, Naruto somersaulted backwards twice. He landed and was two distances away from Kiba. His body naturally moved into his clan's fighting stance. His left foot pushed back while his centre of gravity lowered. Naruto raised his left and right arm up. They were ready for any attack.

The crowd were watching intently. They wondered what this battle would entail.

Kiba crouched down to the ground and formed the Tiger hand seal. He focused and performed his clan's hidden technique, the Four-legs Jutsu. Kiba got on his all-fours. His canine teeth elongated, and his fingernails grew into claws. His appearance transformed into a feral beast.

Kiba grinned. "Here I come," he said loudly before darting off.

Naruto calmed his senses and watched Kiba's body move into shape. Kiba raised his right arm. The boy was aiming his elbow for Naruto's abdomen. A deadly attack.

Naruto hunched slightly forward and raised his right guard. He let Kiba's elbow strike hit him partially. Naruto rolled out from the attack and jumped away from Kiba.

Naruto felt Kiba's strength from the sensations in his arm. The technique Kiba used just before must enhance his speed and strength.

'What a dangerous attack… His taijutsu is vicious. Like an animal. Come on Kiba, show me more!' Naruto thought.

Naruto resumed his stance and calmed his senses again. He was waiting for the next attack.

Kiba launched himself up to Naruto with speed. He then started his barrage of wild strikes and slashes.

Left and right. Up and down. Naruto tried his best to block and dodge the incoming attacks. Everyone in five would hit him, yet they only dealt with minor damage. Kiba couldn't get a good hit on him.

Kiba was getting frustrated from the fight. Naruto would move from spot to spot. He would then block or dodge most of his moves, yet he never attacked him once. Just counters to give him space, nothing more.

It was making Kiba confused and infuriated.

Kiba's eyes widened. An opening has popped up. He jumped and tried to hammer fist Naruto's head with his right hand. A sure knockout move.

Naruto raised his left arm and stopped Kiba's attack. The move surprised Kiba making him gasp. He was stuck in the air; his guard was open. A terrible situation to be in.

Naruto clenched his right fist and smashed it straight into Kiba's abdomen. A perfect hit!

Kiba went backwards and skidded across the ground. He winced in pain. However, he quickly got over it and stood back up. Akamaru was cheering for him with barks. Kiba furrowed his eyebrows at Naruto and started to think of his next attack.

In the stands, most can only wonder what happened. The change came out of nowhere and the change happened so quickly. It truly took them for surprise.

Gai and his team moved close to the others. There has been a question on his mind since the start of the fight. "Kotero-san?"

Kotero moved his head to face Gai. "What can I do for you Gai?"

Gai shook his head. "I just want to ask you something. Your brother, Naruto-kun, his taijutsu is slightly different from yours. Why?" he asked.

Kotero scratched his chin as he thought of his answer. "Everyone who learns whatever style is going to use it differently. It just so happens that you and Lee move the same and act similar.

Naruto and I learnt from the same style, but we approach the fight in our own manner. Right there, he was going with the flow, learning Kiba's moves, behaviours and his strength. Once Naruto was confident, well… you saw what he did. He only needed one hit."

Gai nodded but it only led to more questions. "If you don't mind me asking, why did Naruto-kun take so much abuse? I'm sure there was an opportunity to strike and attack earlier. To me, he wasted energy and time."

Kotero nodded. The man was correct. There were numerous moments in the fight where Naruto could have attacked.

Kotero exhaled. "He's being patient. Something that you don't usually see in Naruto. He wants to learn about Kiba through their fists. Once Naruto feels and knows how Kiba fights, he will be able to predict Kiba's movements."

Ino gasped from the explanation. "So, you mean, that you and Naruto can predict how the fight will go?"

Kotero shook his head. "Not really. Just move to move. Our clan's fighting style is structured so we can be adaptive to any fight. That's the beauty of it. There are no set moves, just the nature of our movements. That's why combos are so important to us. We aim for a series of well put strikes and hits."

Lee clenched his fist. His blood was getting excited. Lee grew even more passionate for his love for taijutsu.

Gai nodded again. "Thank you for telling me."

Kotero rubbed his face and shrugged his shoulders. "No problem Gai. Now sit back and enjoy, the fight is going to go a little differently now."

Shikamaru looked to Kotero's face and saw him grinning madly. 'What troublesome thing is happening in his head?' he thought.

The others found the words interesting. They stopped talking as it seemed that the fight was about to resume.

Naruto clapped his hands and did a "Come here" gesture with his right hand to Kiba. "Come here boy. Come here, I have your collar for ya," Naruto said with a teasing grin, taking out some ninja wire to add to the act.

Kiba growled. His eyes glared at Naruto. "What did you say!? Oh, you're getting it now. Come on, let's get him Akamaru!" Kiba barked.

Akamaru ran along his partner in stride. He barked loudly to make his presence known.

Naruto got into his stance again. Naruto saw that Kiba was holding onto two balls in his right hand. His eye's widened. Smoke bombs. This will certainly make Naruto's life much more difficult.

' _A wind jutsu would break the balls and ruin his plan ttebayo! Let's do it!'_ Naruto thought. He grinned and started weaving hand seals for **Wind Release: Great Breakthrough**.

As he got to the third hand seal, Dog, Naruto's body went into shock. Pain struck all around his abdomen and head.

Naruto coughed darkened blood. His throat was on fire. ' _Shit! I forgot I shouldn't mould my chakra!_ '

Kiba saw the perfect opportunity in front of him. He threw his smoke bombs at Naruto and his plan began.

 **BOOF!**

Purple smoke ventured up from the ground. Naruto's visibility was taken away from him. He became a sitting duck.

' _I can't see. I can't smell him. And when I used my chakra, my whole-body hurts like hell! What the hell am I supposed to do!?'_ Naruto thought. His was beginning to go frantic. Naruto's mind began to run a mile a minute with loose ideas.

Naruto's mind stopped thinking as he was hit all over his body. His guard was useless as he couldn't see where the attacks were coming from.

Naruto couldn't stand the claustrophobic smoke cloud any longer. Naruto remembered he was near the centre of the hall and his back was to the wall. He jumped back and exited the clouds.

The non-smoky air was so fresh to him. His relief didn't last long as Akamaru came flying from above. His jaw was wide open. Ready to lay his fangs into Naruto.

Naruto was fed up enough with the cloud. Now, he wanted the battle to end right here and now. He grabbed the scruff of Akamaru and dragged him down.

Akamaru was surprised from the pull and stopped his attack. However, Naruto didn't.

Naruto moved his whole body and swung a left hook to Akamaru's jaw. The dog flew from Naruto's spot and skidded across the floor. The dog stopped once his body had hit the wall. The body of Akamaru slumped. Akamaru was unconscious.

Naruto sighed a breath of relief. The attack was a true surprise for Akamaru. Naruto was only glad that his quick reflexes allowed him to deliver the finishing blow.

The smoke eventually cleared. Naruto saw Kiba was awe-struck from the actions. He just couldn't believe it.

Naruto grinned and pointed his finger at Kiba. His left fist was already in position. "Now it's just you and me Kiba. No more distractions. Come on! It's time to finish this fight!" Naruto said excitedly. His desire to fight hard was huge. Growing close to overload.

In the stands, Naruto's fellow Genin were studying the fight and the two combatants. Especially on Naruto. The young and aspiring ninja was acting much different compared to when he was attending the academy. This hunger was something they never saw.

Shikamaru and Chōji were also surprised to see Naruto like this. They've been friends together for three years and this is the first time they saw him like this.

Kakashi watched the fight. There was a smile under his mask. "This has really turned into a slugfest, eh?" he said.

Asuma blew out some smoke and tapped the cigarette. "This is real gritty stuff. Kotero, he's like you when you really get into a fight."

Gai and Kurenai watched the interactions between their fellow Jōnin. This was an opportunity to learn more about their Genin's future opponent and of the mysterious Uzumaki brothers themselves.

Kotero laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Naruto and I are brothers after all. We don't want war. We love peace, but there is something we love more than peace. The love to fight! It's something innate to us.

Naruto is only feeling the same feeling I get. With what happened in the forest, and with Kiba now, Naruto is having the hardest challenge of his life. No wonder he's enjoying it!" he said.

Shikamaru groaned. "I don't understand you two. You're more troublesome than anything else," Shikamaru said.

Chōji smiled. "Don't say that Shikamaru. Support Naruto rather than being negative," he said.

Shikamaru shook his head with a sigh.

Kotero patted Shikamaru's head, making both him and Chōji look up to him. "Don't think about it too much. Naruto and I are different from you. We see and do things differently. Just watch and enjoy," he said.

Kotero looked across the balcony. The Suna Genin, Gaara, was watching the fight intently. His eyes were focused on Naruto.

' _He must really resonate with you, isn't that right… Sabaku no Gaara,'_ Kotero thought.

Kotero looked back down to the battle floor, the fight once again resumed.

Kiba was growling and clenching his fists tightly. He bit his hand. Blood dribbled down his arm. His demeaner calmed down.

Kiba's bloodied hand started to root through one of his back pouches. He took out a paper bag. There were three pills. He took one and threw it in his mouth. He put away the paper bag and narrowed his eyes on Naruto. He hunched forward onto his all-fours. His claws and teeth were growing even longer. His appearance even more feral than before.

Naruto felt Kiba's power rise. It made him excited.

In the stands, the others were surprised on Kiba's actions.

"What did he take!?" Shikamaru asked. It looked like Naruto's victory but now the tables have turned.

Chōji became serious. He knew what they were as soon as Kiba took them out of his bag. "Soldier pills. Used for long missions or dire situations. Taking a pill allows a soldier to fight for three days and three nights. They're extremely high in protein and gives the person boosted energy. Kiba's chakra is now double of his normal levels," he said.

Asuma gritted his teeth. "This is bad news! Naruto was already weakened before the fight even began. Those pills distribute the chakra all through the user's body. With Kiba's taijutsu and his clan's techniques, Naruto could lose," he said.

Asuma threw his cigarette to the floor and stumped it out. He moved closer, he was now standing beside Kotero watching the fight. He started to grow worried for the young Uzumaki.

Kotero lightly laughed. "Out of the frying and straight into the fire. Naruto sure has amazing luck," he said with sarcasm lacing in his voice.

Kurenai looked at Kotero with narrowed eyes. "You seem confident that Naruto will still win after everything is stacked against him. Why don't you accept reality and stop him before he gets more wounds?" she asked.

Kotero laughed hard before turning to Kurenai. "Accept reality? And coming from Konoha's 'Genjutsu Mistress' herself. Shut your mouth Kurenai until the fight is over," Kotero said. His words were crisp and fierce. "Now, witness Naruto's power with your own eyes."

Kiba came in fast and rocketed towards Naruto. He spun his body fast and ferociously.

Naruto get ready in his stance. His body was in pain, but the adrenaline made the suffering bearable. A grin was still plastered to his face. _'_ _ **Passing Fang**_ _? That's the Inuzuka clan's trademark jutsu,_ ' Naruto thought.

Naruto juked to the left to dodge the incoming attack. The cyclone of claws barely touched him. Naruto saw the right side of his clothing shredded up from the attack. A few cuts appeared on his triceps. Naruto hissed in pain quietly. He quickly stood up and jumped away to gain some distance.

' _Okay… Shit! Kiba is way faster and stronger with those pills in his system. They're different from Nii-chan's bars. His restores energy but those pills restore and amplify energy. This is going to be harder than I thought ttebayo,'_ Naruto thought.

Kiba stopped his **Passing Fang** and slid across the floor. He readjusted and proceeded to use it again at Naruto. Spinning once more with his claws out, Kiba closed in to Naruto's flank.

 **COUGH!**

Darkened blood escaped Naruto's lips once more. He went down on one knee. His vision blurred as the seconds passed on.

" **Passing Fang**!" Kiba shouted as he launched into Naruto.

Naruto received a direct hit from Kiba and flew across the floor. He hit the wall, which cushioned him.

Kiba stopped again and slowed down. Was the fight finally over!?

' _I can't lose here! I can't allow it, I won't lose!_ '

Naruto got to his hands and knees. Shreds of clothing fell to the floor. Naruto's attire has been completely torn up. His blue shinobi shirt and sleeve-less orange jacket were destroyed. Some of his torso was revealed with many cuts and bruises. Naruto was in terrible condition.

Standing up with all his might, he stared at Kiba who was breathing hard. The soldier pills also cause great strain on the user.

Naruto, with willpower alone, moved away from the wall. Naruto's body moved itself into his fighting stance. _'This is it. I only have one chance left before I drop. I will rest my fate onto that combo,'_ Naruto thought.

Kiba narrowed his eyes on Naruto. "Give it up. It's over," he growled out.

Naruto exhaled with a smile. "The only way this match will be over is when one of us is on the ground. Unconscious. Kiba, I'm not going to lose to you!"

Kiba gnashed his teeth. "I'm not going to lose to a guy like you!" Kiba shouted as he ran forward and jumped. He then performed his **Passing Fang**. The cyclone of claws appeared once more.

Naruto relaxed. He took out a kunai from his pouch. Jumping high up and back, Naruto threw his kunai. The kunai struck the ground and stayed there. There was a tag with black scribbles on it.

Kiba smelled fresh ink in front of him. With his little experience with explosive tags, he knew that ink was a key component to them. He stopped his **Passing Fang** and skidded across the floor. He stopped over the kunai with the tag.

Kiba and the crowd on the balconies saw Naruto a little distance away with the Ram hand-seal already made. A wild grin was plastered on Naruto's face.

On the balconies, Kurenai freaked out and ran to the rails. "Kiba! Get out of there now!" she shouted. "Kotero! Kakashi! Stop him! Please!"

Both shook their heads, making the woman growl. Kurenai tried to jump over the rail but was held back by Asuma. There was resistance but Kurenai eventually stopped.

The Genin around the hall were shocked of Naruto's actions. Gaara enjoyed the act. It was worthy of his pleasure.

Naruto ran towards Kiba. "KAI!" he shouted.

Kiba shut his eyes tight, hoping that he would survive the explosion.

 **CRUNCH!**

Naruto's right fist forced itself into Kiba's abdomen. Kiba howled in pain. His whole guard was down. The punch truly did hurt him.

Kiba opened his eyes and saw Naruto in the air. Naruto's left knee planted itself into Kiba's right shoulder, forcing Kiba to hunch forward in pain.

Naruto dropped slightly and then crashed his right knee into Kiba's open chest. Straight into his sternum. There was a loud noise when Naruto's knee contacted Kiba.

Kiba coughed blood and was seeing black. The match was out of his hands now.

Naruto ended his combo with positioning himself forward Naruto moves his body so most of it was behind Kiba. Using his knee in Kiba's chest as his anchor, Naruto elbowed the back of Kiba's neck.

Kiba went straight to the ground and coughed more blood. His body was limp. The only noise that could be heard was the whimpering of Kiba and the ragged breathing of Naruto.

Naruto landed to the floor after his attack and then fell to his hands and knees. He himself coughed up blood. After breathing raggedly and recomposing himself. Naruto sat down and watched Hayate inspect Kiba.

Hayate pulled the head of Kiba up and saw that Kiba was a broken mess. He placed the head back down and stood up. "For the third match, Inuzuka Kiba is unable to continue. The winner is Uzumaki Naruto!" Hayate called out.

Naruto cheered for only a moment before collapsing to the floor. His face was plastered with a stupid smile.

Kotero grinned and smacked his fist into his open palm. "That's what I call a fight! Oh man, that's going to stay with me for a while. What a great fight!" Kotero said, his fingers were flexing with energy. Both boys were impressive.

Kurenai pushed her way through the balcony crowd and pulled on Kotero's shoulder. "What the hell are you talking about!? Your little brother nearly killed my student!" she said. She was angry, her actions held such fierceness in them that it shocked the other Jōnin.

Kotero was surprised. He never saw Kurenai like this ever in his time in Konoha. It was so strange. He couldn't blame her though. She loved her students, he would react in a similar fashion.

Kakashi came in between them. "Kurenai. Kiba was never in danger. That tag is a dud. There is no proper writing on it. It's just a few scribbly lines."

Kurenai gasped. "So, it was all a trick…"

Kotero smiled and nodded. "Naruto was too exhausted to fight a super-powered Kiba. So, he tricked him and then defeated him when Kiba was at his most vulnerable. I believe that is the trademark of a high-class ninja, right?" he said.

' _And being restricted to using your taijutsu with your horrible conditions, you still managed to pull through… You are really something Naruto!_ ' Kotero thought happily.

Kotero patted both Shikamaru and Chōji's heads. "Now, you two better perform or I'll kick your asses when this is all over," he said with a sweet smile.

Kotero jumped off the ledge and walked down towards Naruto. Kotero saw that everyone's eyes are glued onto him and Naruto.

Kotero walked to Hayate. "I'll be taking him to the hospital. He needs medical treatment. He can go, right?" Kotero asked.

Hayate coughed before speaking. "Yeah, he deserves the rest. Tell him that he did a good job," Hayate said with a small smile.

Kotero nodded and smiled back. "Will do. And, I will be expecting the results of the final round tonight."

Kotero went over to Naruto and picked him up. He then slung the unconscious boy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Oh, what the hell have you been stuffing your face with Naruto? You weigh like a ton. Alright, time to go to the hospital."

Kotero focused his chakra and performed a long series of body-flickers to get out of the hall. Once out of the Forest tower, he set his sights on the Village.

Cracking his neck and jumping on the spot to set himself loose, Kotero hunched forward and launched ahead through the forest at high speeds. The journey through the Forest of Death took much more time with all the branches, debris and wild animals.

Kotero was close to the railings and he started to run along the forest. Jumping from tree to tree. Running along the underside of branches. He was cutting down the distance significantly.

Kotero jumped over the perimeter fence and kept running. He won't stop or slow down until Naruto is in a hospital bed.

Kotero still ran, running at top speed. He made it to inside of the village. The hospital was close.

Blood was still dripping from Naruto's wounds. Kotero knew that the wounds should have closed up by now.

' _It seems that the Kyūbi is taking a break,'_ he thought. _'Damn Orochimaru and his schemes... He'll have to pay some time soon.'_

Kotero jumped onto the rooftops of the buildings and hunted down the hospital. The location was not far away. Kotero held Naruto tightly and leaped off the building. He skidded across the ground and stopped in front of the Konoha hospital. The kanji for 'Medicine' was above the entrance.

Kotero ran inside and went to the receptionist desk. He looked over the desk and sighed a breath of relief. A nurse that he gets well along with is working receptionist today.

Airi! Give me a free room, please!" Kotero said quickly.

The nurse, Airi, stood up and saw the blooded body of Naruto and gasped. "What happened to him!?"

Kotero shook his head quickly. "Look, it's my little brother. Just give me the closest room to my office, please!" he begged.

Airi nodded and hunkered down to the paper covered desk. "Of course, Kotero-sensei. Room 302 is free. A private room. Do you need assistance?" she asked.

Kotero shook his head. "No thanks but give us some refreshments later. Thank you Airi, I owe you one!"

Kotero gripped Naruto and ran through the halls of the hospital, breaking the rules, and darted up the stairs. He went to the third floor and ran to room 302. Like she said, it was free and spacious. Kotero opened the door and went straight to the bed, laying Naruto flat on it.

Kotero got a pair of scissors and took off all of Naruto's clothes. Getting a hospital gown, he covered Naruto's nude body. Afterwards, he placed him under the hospital blankets.

Kotero went to the drawer and took out a needle. He went to the store room afterward and got IV fluids. He injected the needle into Naruto's veins and connected a tube to the IV bag. He then hooked the IV bag on the stand.

Kotero went to the other side of the bed and took out a heart rate monitor. He clipped the end to Naruto's index finger and switched on the machine.

 **BEEP! BEEP!**

Kotero then went over to the sink and filled a basin of water and got a clean cloth. He then began to clean off the dirt on Naruto's face.

Kotero scrunched the cloth into a ball and threw it onto the sink counter. He then cracked his back. "Alright, let's investigate your seal now Naruto."

Kotero pulled up Naruto's gown so only Naruto's abdomen was the only thing revealed. Kotero flowed his chakra to Naruto's belly button, forcing some chakra flow there. The seal markings appeared. However, they appeared slowly.

Kotero gnashed his teeth. This was not good. The seal is supposed to pop up immediately.

Kotero checked each of the eight individual seal markings that surround the central seal. The only difference he could see is that they were fuzzy. Blurred seal markings were never a good thing.

Kotero groaned. "Orochimaru… What the hell were you thinking with a Death Seal? From Naruto's chakra flow, it seems that it is slower than usual… thicker would be a better way to describe it. This is not how his chakra is supposed to act at all!"

Kotero checked the seal once more. "The seal looks undamaged itself. However, Naruto and the Kyūbi are suffering from it. So, Naruto and the Kyūbi's chakra must be treating Orochimaru's chakra from that Death Seal as a foreign chakra but it won't break down. That's where Naruto is getting the symptoms of Arsenic poisoning… I've never seen a case like this."

Kotero saw that Naruto's breathing rhythm was stable and his condition wasn't waning. Kotero paced the room up and down, trying to think of a solution to help Naruto.

An idea popped into his head.

"The Kyūbi and its chakra has always healed Naruto. If I can put an immobilizing seal on Naruto, maybe the Kyūbi's chakra will break it down. No, that won't work. Their chakras fuse together because of the Yondaime's Seal.

Oh… Since Naruto and I have similar chakras because we're family… Maybe I can flush it out if I inject my chakra into his system. It's great now that you're tuckered out from your fight, this would be a bad idea then."

Kotero went to the sink and washed his hands. Going back to Naruto, he placed his fingers on some known tenketsu points around Naruto's abdomen. He then flowed his medicinal chakra into Naruto.

"There are three hundred and sixty-one tenketsu points in a body. Most of them are found in the torso, on the abdomen. Hopefully, this will work just like CPR," Kotero said as flowed more chakra into Naruto. "Well... Here's hoping!"

Kotero focused and let all the distractions disappear. He didn't know how long he was going at it.

The door opened, and footsteps were heard. Kotero moved his eyes and saw nurse Airi come in. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Airi placed a tray of food and water onto the nearby table. "Kotero-sensei, you've been doing this for over four hours now," she said with concern.

Kotero moved his eyes from the blonde woman and looked at the clock. It was past midnight. Kotero sighed and went back to Naruto.

"I don't care. Until Naruto will be alright for the night, I'm not stopping," he said with determination.

Naruto's seal marks lost their blurriness and the markings were now crisp.

Kotero laughed. "Would you look at that! What a coincidence. My work here is done." Kotero grabbed a nearby towel and wiped his forehead. The room was getting hot. He stripped off his Jōnin and his other jacket already. "I'm going to get a glass of water."

The nurse, Airi, went over and checked the heart rate monitor. "Sixty-two beats per minute. That is a good level," she said. She then scribbled down the number on Naruto's medical chart and hooked the chart onto the end of Naruto's bed.

She turned around and saw Kotero move a chair beside Naruto's bed before sitting on it.

"Are you going to stay here for the night?" Airi asked. She was concerned for the two in front of her.

Kotero nodded. "I don't want to go home, and I don't want to go to my office."

Airi nodded and smiled. "Do you want a blanket?" she asked.

Kotero shook his head. "No thanks. I'll be okay."

Airi smiled at him. "You know, you're breaking hospital rules by staying with a patient."

Kotero growled slightly. "I don't care." He then stared into her green eyes, "You won't say a word to anyone."

Airi nodded. "I won't. Good night Kotero-sensei. And goodnight Naruto-kun," she said as she closed the door.

Kotero sunk into his chair. Looking over to Naruto, he smiled softly. "She's a good nurse with a good heart. Naruto, you would like her. But, enough with the chitter-chatter, let's go to sleep."

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

The morning sunshine pierced through the windows. The light hit Kotero's skin. He woke up from the rising heat.

He blinked multiple times before getting up. Kotero checked up on Naruto from head to toe. Naruto was stable, and his heartrate was fine. Kotero sighed a breath of relief.

Kotero sat on Naruto's bed. He looked at his younger brother's face. Naruto was in total peace. Resting properly for the first time for a while.

Kotero lightly slapped Naruto's face. It usually woke the boy up. This time, Naruto had no response. His breathing rhythm stayed the same.

Kotero stood up and pulled out Naruto's chart. He took out a pencil and started to write. "Major fatigue due to stress and lack of chakra. He will most likely stay in a sleeping state for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Patient is in a condition where he is not aware of his surroundings."

 **KNOCK!**

Kotero turned his head to the door. "It's most likely Airi. Come in," he said.

The door opened, and a large man came in. He shut the door after him.

Kotero's jaw dropped to the floor after he saw the man. Long white hair and a tall body. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Kotero recognised the face and outfit from pictures he saw in the Hokage's office. "Jiraiya!?"

Jiraiya, one of the three legendary ninja along with Orochimaru and Senju Tsunade, walked into the room.

He went over to the window sill and rested on the ledge. "Yo. Nice to meet you," he said with a peace sign.

Kotero narrowed his eyes on the man. "Nice to meet you too… Why are you here?" Kotero asked with some bite. He was not in the happiest of moods right now.

Jiraiya laughed before crossing his arms. "Why? I just wanted to check up on Naruto. Is that too much to ask? Uzumaki Kotero?" Jiraiya said.

Kotero exhaled heavily. "No… But it still doesn't answer the real question. What reason are you here for?"

Jiraiya laughed. "I would be lying if I said I wanted to do some research on a hospital themed book for my series. No, I want to train that boy."

Kotero clenched his fists. He exhaled heavily suddenly and smiled at Jiraiya. "Train Naruto? Hm, that does sound like a good idea. We should go over the details in the canteen… Have you had breakfast yet? I'll pay," Kotero offered, he switched his mood quickly.

Jiraiya smiled at the redhead. "Now that would be lovely. Lead the way Kotero."

Kotero nodded and left the room with Jiraiya behind him. Kotero locked the door and went downstairs to the ground floor. The two walked past the reception desk and went to the hospital canteen.

Jiraiya got himself a table with two seats. It was in the corner of the room. He waited for a few minutes until Kotero came with a tray with multiple items.

Jiraiya scanned his meal. He smiled. There was two bowls of rice and two bottles of orange juice.

"I thought you would have bought me something nicer," Jiraiya said with a pout.

Kotero scoffed when he heard the words. "Yeah right. The canteen is too expensive. You're lucky I bought you anything at all," he said.

Jiraiya took his rice bowl and started to eat some of it. "Sensei told me that you do a lot of high-ranking missions. That means you have a lot of money in your bank account, right? I thought I would get soup at least."

Kotero narrowed his eyes. He took a big portion of rice with his chopsticks. "So? You write smut and are an amazing ninja with a near flawless career. You should be much wealthier than me."

Jiraiya glared at Kotero before laughing again. "I was warned that you would call my writing smut. I shouldn't be surprised it came so quickly."

Kotero sighed and looked away with embarrassment. "Kaa-chan was a big fan of your work unfortunately. I have her collection at home… I can't seem to get rid or burn it." Kotero looked to the window and then back to Jiraiya. "All it's doing is gathering dust."

Jiraiya's lip curled upwards. "Oh? That's good to hear. I never knew Kushina had a sister until Sensei told me about it. I'm happy that it made someone happy."

Kotero finished his rice and opened the cap to his orange juice. "My Kaa-chan and Aunt though, it brings something up. Something that has been on my mind since I came to this village nearly three years ago."

Jiraiya focused on the man in front of him. The conversation turned serious in a heartbeat. "And what is that?" he asked.

Kotero smiled. Jiraiya saw the smile but Kotero's eyes told a different story. The tension grew between the two men.

Kotero rested his arms on the table and rested his chin on the back of his hands. "Naruto. Why Naruto? Why nearly thirteen years ago was he chosen to hold the monster that nearly destroyed the village, the Kyūbi?

Why did the Yondaime Hokage sacrifice his life and in part, Naruto's life, to seal the creature into Naruto?

What happened to Aunt Kushina on the Tenth of October that made the most powerful of all the Bijū go loose?

All these loose connections have made me crazy. Jiji won't talk to me about it. He's a stubborn old man. My fellow Jōnin avoid the topic like it's the plague. It makes me mad. Almost as if they don't want me to find out."

Jiraiya felt a cold sweat creep down his back. With his experience, he kept a blank face. "I'm a bit lost. What are you trying to say?" he said.

Kotero lightly laughed. "Don't act dumb. You know too much to play that card. There's been an idea in my head for about… two and a bit years, an idea that would answer all these questions. I didn't say anything because it seems like a huge taboo to talk about anything to do with 'that' day. I didn't need to deal with Jiji and his council if I brought it up."

Jiraiya kept his mouth shut. This was the most nervous he has been for an exceptionally long time.

Kotero sat back in his chair and smiled devilishly. "Jiraiya. It's true isn't it. Naruto is the son of the Yondaime Hokage, right? He's Namikaze Minato's son."

Jiraiya felt his whole body lock up. What was he supposed to say now?

After an intense stare-down between the two men, Jiraiya sighed and rested his arm on the table. He rubbed his face and groaned. "Yes."

There was silence. Nothing happened. Neither spoke a word.

Kotero hummed and nodded his head repeatedly. "Alright… That's one thing off my list. So, what are you going to do for Naruto's training?" he asked.

Jiraiya looked up and saw that Kotero was curious. More interested in Naruto's training then the conspiracy he solved. "Are you not going to ask more questions about your Uncle?" Jiraiya asked.

Kotero shook his head. "No. Naruto is more important right now. I'll find out more when Naruto knows who his dad really is. It's only fair."

Jiraiya squinted his eyes. "Are you sure? To be honest, I half-expected you to flip out in anger. Or so I assumed because of what Sensei told me about your short temper."

Kotero sighed. "I don't feel anything at all right now. Why should I? This all happened years ago, before Kaa-chan told me about Aunt Kushina. But you're right, if it was me around three years ago, I probably would have exploded. Maybe even tried to kill you. But I have matured since then, thank you very much."

Jiraiya lightly laughed, but he wasn't happy. "I honestly don't know what to expect with you."

Kotero nodded. "I don't know what to expect from you either. Wait… Minato was your student, correct?"

Jiraiya nodded. "He was. He was my best one."

Kotero bit his thumbnail. "You looked at him as a Son. That's what Jiji told me once."

Jiraiya donned a sad expression. "Yeah, I loved Minato. He was a great kid. He was... simply great."

Kotero smiled and scratched his cheek. "That sort of makes Naruto your grandson then," he said. "It's a nice thought."

Jiraiya nodded. "Godson actually."

Kotero narrowed his eyes. His joy turned to rage. "Godson? So… You knew about him all along and never bothered to see him? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Jiraiya leaned back from the ferocity of the words. They weren't even loud, the same volume as before. But each word was sharp, stabbing through him like nothing.

"Yes, I knew where he was. I got letters and reports from Sensei from time to time. I was busy trying to track Orochimaru's movements and the Akatsuki," he told Kotero. "It wasn't as if I didn't want to see him. I stayed out there for Naruto's and Konoha's safety!"

Kotero's rage vanished and confusion took over. "Naruto's safety!? Akatsuki!? What could they be doing to garner your attention 'o wise one'? They're just a mercenary group doing odd jobs. Tell me right now."

The two men were interrupted. Sarutobi Asuma came into the canteen and went straight for their table.

Asuma sighed a breath of relief once he saw their faces. "Jiraiya-sama, it's good to see you again. Kotero, I found you," he said. He wasn't in the best of moods.

Kotero nodded. "Yeah, what's wrong Asuma?"

Asuma slumped. "How should I say this? Hayate… was killed last night. We don't know who killed him, but he was killed by another shinobi…"

Kotero gasped. He then grunted heavily. Sinking into his seat. "Fuck… The bastards… How's Yūgao? Is she okay?" he asked as he got out of his chair.

"She's losing it. The funeral is in three days." The two men sitting saw Asuma's heavy eyes. The death was a burden for all involved.

Kotero rubbed his face and groaned. "Jiraiya. Our talk about Naruto will have to wait. And just to let you know, right now you are in my bad books. Asuma, let's go, we need to help her."

Asuma and Kotero left the canteen. Jiraiya looked out of the window and sighed. "Maybe the prophecy is just a prophecy. Maybe it will never come true? Hm, we'll see soon enough. Eh, Naruto?"

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	17. Chapter 17 - Wise Sage, Wise Cracks (P1)

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 17 – Wise Sage, Wise Cracks (Part 1)**

"Four in the morning. Damn… There's nothing to do at four in the morning."

Naruto's eyes were glued to the clock. Resting in his hospital bed, he woke up and felt well-rested. Naruto's hands were by his side doing nothing. The boy was bored stiff.

Naruto felt his mouth and throat dry up. His few minutes of consciousness made his body realise that he was dehydrated.

Naruto scanned the room slowly, his eyes stopped once the sink was in his visage. Naruto moved his legs and tried to sit up. He gnashed his teeth as he felt the rising pain. His abdomen was very tender.

Naruto investigated his injuries by pulling on his hospital gown. If he remembered correctly, there should be bruising around his belly button from Orochimaru's interference and many cuts from his shins to his lower throat from Kiba's **Passing Fang**.

Naruto sighed and lets go of his gown. "Surprise, surprise. There's nothing there. I should thank the fox for that."

A dark but warm sensation radiated from his belly. The source was Naruto's seal. Naruto grunted. It was not the most pleasurable feeling to have.

Before trying to get off the bed for the second time, Naruto took off the heart monitor tag on his finger and pulled out the needle from the IV Drip. Steam raised from the small hole. The Kyūbi's chakra was back to normal. Healing his minor injuries in an instant.

Naruto got off his bed slowly. Putting his two feet to the freezing ground, with a bit of effort, Naruto stood up. Naruto walked to the sink counter while using the bed rails as a support. His mind may be alert, but his body was sluggish. It wouldn't have surprised him if his body was filled with medicinal drugs to aid his recovery.

A glass was filled with fresh cold water. Naruto moved to the window. His eyes watched the village below him. There was nothing going on. A ghost town.

Naruto saw colour appear in the horizon. His eyes looked up. It was the sunrise. Rising up from its own slumber.

Naruto relaxed and watched the magical show of nature that was happening in front of him. The sky turned to red and orange. A new day has come.

Naruto smiled. Leaving his glass in the basin, Naruto went back to bed and closed his eyes. Rest was needed for his weary soul.

* * *

 **Hours Later**

"Yes… That will do hehe. Should I add a mistress? I don't know but every sentence is getting dirtier than the last."

' _Whose voice is that?'_ Naruto thought.

Naruto's eyes stayed shut however he was awake. The voice nearby disturbed him. Naruto knew the voice belonged to a man. It was deep and mature. Naruto could also hear the scribbling of a pen on paper. The man was writing quickly, jotting down his ideas as fast as he could so he doesn't lose them later.

The man hummed. He then wrote more. "And she should wear a-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

The man flinched and hid his book away. He looked left and right, wondering where the voice came. He finally looked at Naruto. His face turned sour. "Oh… You're finally awake. Good."

Naruto's eyes focused the man in front of him. Long white hair, red facial markings and a horned forehead protector with the Kanji of 'oil' written with a deep black colour.

Naruto had no idea of the man in front of him, but he sure as hell was going to find out. "Alright… Who are you?"

The man smiled and stood up. He moved his arms in an eccentric dance. "Thank you for asking. I am the one and only, Sage of Mount Myōboku of the Toad spirits. Also known as a Toad Hermit. I am a wise man who will lead anyone down the path of peace," The man said. He finished his piece with a striking pose.

Naruto sat up and growled at the man. "I asked nicely, who the hell are you?" Naruto asked.

The man slumped out of his pose and sat up straight. There was a sour puss on his face. "Kids these days don't appreciate anything. Bunch of spoilt brats," the man said.

Naruto watched as the man stretched his arms and crack his back. The man's eyes finally focused on Naruto. His soured face turned into a smile. "The name is Jiraiya. Many call me Jiraiya-sama. Nice to meet you, kid," Jiraiya said. He had a thumbs-up with his glistening smile.

Naruto looked upwards and mouthed off random words. "Jiraiya… I'm sure I've heard of that name before…" Naruto's words were mumbled. All over the place.

 _Jiraiya was spying and grieving the death of his student._

 _How observant of you? I thought you would be like an idiot like Jiraiya, but you are much more… skilled than he was. It's not much though I suppose._

The words of his brother and Orochimaru made everything click. He gasped and pointed his finger at Jiraiya. "AHHHH! Why the hell are you here!?" Naruto shouted at him.

Jiraiya eyes looked strangely at Naruto. He then bursted out laughing. Smacking his knee with his outburst, Jiraiya eventually calmed down.

"I was warned that you were quite loud. You see here kid, I'm going to be your new Sensei," Jiraiya said with a happy smile. He crossed his arms and nodded his head. Everything was going according to his plan. "With myself by your side, you'll be a great ninja in no time."

Naruto groans and rubs his head. He seemed to be in pain.

Jiraiya stood up and walked over. "Are you alright brat?"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, just getting a headache from you."

Jiraiya laughed awkwardly and wnet back to his spot.

The conversation was now dead. Silence was between the two. It seemed neither wanted to talk.

Naruto relaxed and ran through his thoughts before he collapsed after his win against Kiba. Multiple questions came in firing after he remembered the last few events.

Naruto sat up straight again and looked at Jiraiya. "How's Sasuke? Is he moving again?" Naruto asked. He was concerned for his friend.

Jiraiya shook his head. He donned a sad expression. "Uchiha Sasuke? No, he's still resting in his room. He's most likely will be discharged by tomorrow morning," he told Naruto.

Naruto smiled. "Good. He will be itching to train."

Jiraiya was happy to hear those words leave Naruto's mouth. A question popped into his head. "What do you think of Sasuke? I heard that he was a bit of an… Introvert."

Naruto sighed and nodded. "He sorta is. Like, in the Academy, Sasuke always kept to himself. I knew for a fact that he didn't like me, and I didn't like him. We didn't hate each other, but we made sure to stay away from each other. It changed when we were put on a team together," Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded. "What changed about it?" he asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on Jiraiya. "You're really nosy," Naruto said.

Jiraiya stared at Naruto with a smile. "I try to get to know my pupils well before we start training. It's important. So important in fact that it is a Sensei's duty," Jiraiya said with a sparkle in his eyes.

Naruto hummed. He had no idea what Jiraiya meant but he knew he wouldn't be able to escape the Twenty Questions.

"Alright. When we were put on a team, we still didn't get along at first. D-ranked missions are boring as hell ttebayo. I actually thought that we would try to kill each other from the boredom," Naruto complained.

Jiraiya chuckled from Naruto's rant. He continued to listen to Naruto as the boy had much, much more to say.

"He would constantly say this and that. God damn, it really pissed me off. Then, for better or worse, we got our first C-ranked mission," Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded. "The mission in the Land of Waves, with the bridge designer, right?" he asked.

Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "Yup. But you have to say 'Bridge Designer and Builder' now or else Tazuna-ossan would bite your head off. The old fart had a nasty mouth when you got him mad… or drunk. So, where was I? Oh yeah, Tazuna-ossan, me and the rest of Team Seven went to The Land of Waves. We got attacked by theses guys called the 'Demon Brothers'. Sasuke and I handled the punks," Naruto boasted.

Jiraiya grinned. "Impressive stuff kid. What happened after that made you guys all buddy-buddy?"

Naruto scowled at Jiraiya. "We didn't go from nothing to buddy-buddy like with the snap of the fingers. We trained together, worked hard together. Fought for each other and saved each other's lives. That's how we became friends," Naruto told him.

Jiraiya wiped fake tears from his eyes. "That will make any man tear up. What a wonderful story," he said. His voice was laced with fake emotion.

Naruto growled at the sarcastic act and threw his pillow at Jiraiya. Jiraiya let the pillow hit his face and drop to the ground.

Jiraiya's face was blank. He was not happy with what Naruto did. "I can't believe you did that," he said. Every word held disappointment.

Naruto sighed and got off his bed and went to the sink. Getting a glass of water, he gulped down the cool liquid. Feeling better, Naruto moved to a chair that was beside the window. Late morning has already arrived.

"I take it Kakashi-sensei is taking care of Sasuke's training, right?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "Yep. And I'll handle yours. This Chūnin Exam final is already set up to be the most competitive yet. All the different Daimyō and their councillors will be coming and betting lots of their money. This means that we have to get you into tip-top shape before it starts," Jiraiya said.

Naruto smiled. "Good. That's what I want to hear," he said.

Both Naruto and Jiraiya heard loud muffling, and then a laugh that sounded like a long series of barks.

Naruto was wondering what was up. "What's going on out there?" he asked.

Jiraiya turned his head to the door and then back to Naruto. "It sounds like Tsume-san. She was here before you woke up checking up on her son. He was in a pretty bad state," Jiraiya said.

Naruto chuckled nervously and sunk into his seat. "Woops. I sort of… got lost in the moment," Naruto said. He sat up straight and scratched the back of his head.

Jiraiya lightly laughed. "Your older brother said that the only problem that the Kiba kid had was a really bad concussion. He's in a coma right now. However, the good news is that his body is in good shape, bar his head," he said.

Naruto wiped his forehead. "Good. For a second, I thought you were going to say that I killed him or something," he admitted. "That would have been bad."

Jiraiya agreed. "I'm sure Tsume-san would have killed you for killing her son. Even though it is allowed, killing in the exams is very frowned upon. It would be less so if we and the other villages didn't share exams."

Naruto focused on Jiraiya's words. "You really think so. I thought it was the Nidaime who thought bringing the villages together was a good idea, right?"

"It was and still is. It's just that if someone important in Suna was killed in the Forest. Let's say Sabaku no Gaara, then Suna would hate us, maybe even declare war on us," Jiraiya stated.

Naruto was confused. "Why would they do that? Just because of his special sand jutsu?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No… Because he is the Yondaime Kazekage's youngest son."

Naruto was moved back from the piece of news. It was a heavy piece of information. "I had no idea who he was. I just thought he was special in ability, not blood."

Jiraiya grunted and crossed his arms. "He is special. That's why we must get you into fighting shape. He has a good chance of defeating you without moving from his spot. We need to change that."

Naruto exhaled. "Seems like we have a lot of training in our hands."

The two stopped speaking. Silence came. The conversation vanished, and the atmosphere was now awkward.

Naruto rubbed his face. "I've been thinking like… Why are you training me and not Nii-chan?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya tapped on his lip. _'How should I say this?'_ he thought.

Jiraiya looked at Naruto and licked his lips before speaking. "Well, we agreed that you would benefit the most if I took you out of the village and trained you. Your brother has to admit that having a member of the Sannin as a Sensei is an opportunity just too good to throw away."

Naruto laughed. "Nii-chan is strong. He still has loads to teach me."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "I've fought in two wars and had many, many pupils. I am much more suited to teaching." Jiraiya's words were confident and strong. They just rolled off his tongue.

Naruto bobbed his head. "Well… If Nii-chan thinks it's a good idea, then I shouldn't complain," he said.

"Oh, he thought it was a fantastic idea. He was ecstatic about it," Jiraiya said with a wry smile.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yeah right… That sounds nothing like him. There must be another reason. Does Jiji want him to go on a mission?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya grinned. "Oh? You're not as stupid as your face suggests. You're half right. But, it was agreed with him, Sensei and myself that I would train you for the next month… well just less of a month."

Naruto turned to the window. The sun was sky high, and the weather was sparkling. The nearby river was a crystal blue.

"I feel good now. When do we go?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know exactly. Just wait kid."

The two stayed in the room. They once again heard loud muffling, and then a laugh that sounded like a long series of barks. It suddenly died down. Naruto's hospital room door opened and someone familiar came in. The door closed.

"You just can't get away from that woman," Kotero said as he leaned against the wall and sunk to the floor. "She won't shut up haha."

"What's up Kotero-nii?" Naruto asked from his chair.

Kotero nodded and sighed. "I've been better. I wanted to get here earlier but Tsume kept hounding me about Kiba. She was very worried on the condition of her son after you defeated him."

Naruto nervously chuckled. "She doesn't hate me, does she?" he asked.

This time, both Jiraiya and Kotero laughed in unison from Naruto's words. Kotero shook his head as he stood up and walked closer, standing close by to Jiraiya.

"No. She's just glad that Kiba will be able to leave soon and go back to work after the Chūnin exams. You really did a number on him Naruto. I'm pretty sure you can be proud of that," Kotero said.

Jiraiya nodded. "He should. Advancing to the finals on your first attempt is impressive enough. With what happened to you before that fight, makes it even better," Jiraiya added.

Naruto blushed from the comments. He loved getting praise from his peers.

Naruto stood up and walked over closer to the two men, he rested on his bed. "What's the deal for now? When am I going to train?" Naruto asked.

Kotero looked between Naruto and Jiraiya. "You two will leave the village. Go somewhere nice. Jiraiya will teach and help train you. And about a week before the final rounds start, you'll come back to Konoha and then we can get a good plan sorted out for all your potential fights in the competition," Kotero answered.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes on Kotero. "I thought you said I was getting Naruto for the whole month," he said.

Kotero furrowed his eyebrows. "I never said that. You need hearing aids or something Jiraiya?" Kotero asked with a condescending tone. "There's no way in hell you're getting Naruto for the whole month."

Naruto could see from his spot that the two men in front of him don't get along well. It wasn't a pleasant thing to watch after you just recovered.

As he heard Jiraiya and his brother bicker among themselves, he relaxed and went through his thoughts.

"WAIT!" Naruto shouted.

The two men stopped their verbal fight and looked at Naruto.

"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto ran his hands through his hair. "I was sleeping when the rest of the preliminaries went on… Who the hell am I up against in the finals?" he asked in a shout.

Kotero was about to open his mouth however there was a pecking noise. The three looked at the window and saw a messenger hawk banging its beak against the glass.

Kotero moved and opened the window. He took out the letters found in the messenger hawk pouch. He then petted the hawk's head, indicating it can go. The hawk flew away. Kotero opened the letters and started to read them.

In the distance, Jiraiya could see that the redhead was going more and more pale as he read more and more of the letter. From the looks of it, it looks like Kotero was in for something very difficult or very embarrassing.

Jiraiya turned his head to Naruto. "I might as well tell you as he can't. After you went out like a light, the rest of the six matches went on ahead. I have to say some of the results were interesting."

"How so?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya grinned. "I mean that the finals are going to be packed with excitement. You're in the first round, the show opener," Jiraiya said.

Naruto growled. "Stop teasing me and tell me who I'm up against," Naruto demanded.

Jiraiya smiled. "A fellow Konoha Genin. Maito Gai's student, Rock Lee." Jiraiya stretched out his arms. "A supposed Taijutsu expert and genius according to Gai himself."

Naruto's hot blood calmed down. He took a moment to think about it. "Rock Lee… This would be much harder than I thought it would be… I was hoping it was Shino," Naruto said.

Jiraiya hummed. "The second round is between Aburame Shino and Hyūga Neji. It's a strange match-up. Neji is the favourite already to win that match. Being a year older and having a years' experience under his belt really tilted the favour to him," Jiraiya said. "Therefore Naruto, he's most likely going to be your opponent in the semi-finals if you get through at all."

"Makes sense. It most likely be the same for my match," Naruto said.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No. In fact, your odds are even. I've heard that Rock Lee can't use any ninjutsu or genjutsu whatsoever. Just taijutsu. You can use ninjutsu, taijutsu, and I've heard that you're decent at breaking out of those pesky genjutsu attacks. Plus, with your trapmaking and fūinjutsu skills, people see that you have a big arsenal to pick from."

Naruto scratched his chin. "Then why are our odds even? Because of his experience?"

"Yeah, that his taijutsu skill is one of the best in all of the crop of Genin in the finals. He'll be a tough opponent," Jiraiya said.

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed out. "What's the third round? Is it Sasuke's?"

"No. Nara Shikamaru versus Sabaku no Temari. One of your pals against the Kazekage's daughter. The lazy brat is against a vicious and ruthless kunoichi," he said. Jiraiya shivered on the spot. "That brings back some fond memories."

Naruto laughed. "Sounds like a match made in heaven for Shika. Was she the one with the battle fan?" he asked.

Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. I only know the names. If you think she is the one with the battle fan, then she is the one with the battle fan."

"And? What about the last match-up?" Naruto asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke versus Sabaku no Gaara. This match already is the most participated out of the first four. Sorry kid seems like you're not popular enough," Jiraiya said with a laugh.

Naruto sighed. "Who cares. I'll just be the superstar when I win the whole thing. Then I'll become a Chūnin. Climb the ladder then become a Jōnin. Then finally, I'll become the next Hokage," he said with confidence.

"I love the enthusiasm kid. Just hope you keep it once we get on the road," Jiraiya said.

A question popped into Naruto's head. "How come there are only four rounds? There should be like ten people fighting in the finals."

Jiraiya bit his lip. "Yeah… We had two double knockouts in the rounds. Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino just knocked each other out. Hyūga Hinata and Akimichi Chōji fought each other but the girl got crushed and the boy couldn't move because of the 'Gentle Fist'.

And then Sabaku no Gaara killed an Oto Genin, I believe his name was Dosu, in their preliminary match. I heard there was a lot of to clean up after they took out the body from the sand," he said grimly.

Naruto shivered. "That's nasty. I thought you said killing was frowned upon!"

"I did. But he still did it. Just shows you that these exams are serious business, not kiddie games," Jiraiya lamented.

Naruto nodded. He knew that from the start. "I'm surprised that Chōji drew with someone. I'm not going to lie, I thought he was going to lose."

Kotero laughed from the corner. "He was going to forfeit but Asuma said if he won, then he would buy him an 'All you can eat' buffet. I'd say Asuma was glad that he didn't win at all."

Naruto laughed as well. He then looked at his brother. He was dressed in all black. "What's with the clothes Nii-chan?" he asked.

Kotero came over and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Unfortunately, I have to go and attend a funeral. And it's in like… fifteen minutes. Then from this not so 'Secret Message', I have to meet up with Jiji and help organise the finals with the Civilian Council."

Jiraiya's face went sour. "I feel bad that you have to deal with those four," he said. "They'll work you to the ground."

Kotero grunted. "At least one of them is fine. Yuriko Koike-san is alright to deal with. The other three… I rather not say," he said. "Naruto, I have to leave now."

The two brothers hugged each other. Their brotherly affection was showing.

"You better pack for a few weeks, I don't know if you're staying in a hotel or not," Kotero said.

Naruto got out of the hug and nodded. "Gotcha. I'll see you in a few weeks then Nii-chan!" Naruto said. He had his fist closed and out.

Kotero bumped the fist with his own, there was a happy smile on his face. He then turned to Jiraiya. "Just take care of him."

Jiraiya smiled with a nod. "I will." His words were serious.

Kotero left for the door. "Right, I'm off. I'll see you in about three weeks."

The door closed. Naruto and Jiraiya were now alone in the room.

Jiraiya clapped his hands and stood up. "Get yourself ready and meet me in the Main gate at Noon. We leave then," Jiraiya said as he made his way to the window.

"How am I supposed to get home!? I have no clothes!" Naruto complained.

Jiraiya jumped out of the window and laughed. "I don't know. Think! You're a ninja for goodness sake!"

Naruto groaned. "How am I supposed to get out of here with only a hospital gown?"

* * *

 **Main Gate, 12:00 PM**

The weather was like the past few days in the Konoha summer. Uncomfortably hot. Naruto was leaning on the main gates, waiting for his new sensei, Jiraiya of the Sannin, to come. Although it only just hit Noon, Naruto was getting rather impatient. He wanted to leave now and train.

Naruto stood around and waited for five minutes. In that time, he kicked around a small, light-coloured pebble.

Naruto grunted with a hint of frustration. "Where is he?" he wondered.

"I'm right here."

Naruto spun around to see Jiraiya with his arms crossed. There was a large bag on his back. The man was prepared to travel far.

Naruto was the same. He had a bag that was nearly the size of himself on his back. Filled with food, equipment and scrolls. He was prepared for anything that will come his way.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya. "You're late Ero-sennin," he said.

Jiraiya gasped from the name and covered his mouth from his disgust. "How could you call your new Sensei that!?"

Naruto laughed as he walked out of the main gates. "I heard what you were writing this morning. A mistress who should wear something-"

Jiraiya ran over to Naruto and covered his mouth. "Shut your mouth brat. The ladies over there don't need to hear your loud words."

Jiraiya lets go of Naruto and clapped his hands. "We have a long way to travel. Let's get a move on," he said.

Naruto scoffed as the two walked out of Konoha. "We could have left earlier if you came on time."

Jiraiya laughed. "Seeing you get mad was worth it kid," he said.

The pair travelled through the forested lands. It didn't take long for Jiraiya to pick up the pace. The two went North. Naruto didn't question it yet, but his curiosity was growing with every second that passed.

There was no conversation. It made Naruto feel slightly uncomfortable, in all his past missions, he would talk to his team about everyday life. With Jiraiya, there was nothing to say.

The time changed from afternoon to evening to night. The pair slowed down close to an estuary. Jiraiya stopped completely beside the water and dumped his bag. There were already a few logs to sit on. It must be a popular camping spot.

"This place seems like a trap," Naruto said. "I don't like the feeling of this."

Jiraiya laughed and smiled at Naruto. "Don't worry, I was here just before I got to Konoha to pick you up. I'm the one who put these logs here. Now, we're going to camp here and have dinner. Tomorrow, we'll begin your training."

Naruto nodded as he sat on the log. He watched Jiraiya take out pan and ingredients. He was preparing a simple meal.

Naruto had to ask. "What are we having for dinner?"

Jiraiya stared at the white meat he had in his hand. "I think it's Pike fish. We'll find out when we eat it," he said with a wry smile. He dropped two fillets of the meat on the hot pan. The oil made a loud, sizzling noise when the meat was on.

Naruto's face soured. "I think I'm going to die if I hang around you." Naruto made himself comfortable on the log and looked up to the stars. "Why did we go here anyway?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya watched as the meat cooked. "There's no one to disturb us around here. The closet place to us now is the Capital of The Land of Fire. And to add, between us and the Capital is the Jagged Wild Forest **.** Fun fact, the Capital has another name though, The Hanging Gardens," Jiraiya told Naruto.

"The Hanging Gardens? Why is it called that?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya sighed. "It seems that you didn't listen during your geography lessons. It's called the Hanging Gardens because there was a food shortage a very long time ago. The land here is fertile but thieves, wild animals and bandits would ruin crops in the fields. So, the city decided to build gardens on the roof tops to grow fruit and vegetables. This solved their problem and the city grew and grew. A massive difference all because of those gardens.

With the bigger population, the Daimyō could hire more Royal Guards to do perimeter patrols to protect the massive fields of crop and livestock. Those gardens become redundant for growing food, so the citizens changed them to grow only fruit trees and flowers. These flowers would hang off the houses. The city itself became a garden," Jiraiya explained.

"Wow," Naruto said. He was amazed.

Jiraiya nodded with agreement. "You will only see this in the Northern and Western Districts of the city of today. And the Core, which is in the centre of the Western District as well. The Core holds the largest private garden as well as the Daimyō's Palace," Jiraiya said.

Naruto took in and loved the information. Despite his ninja profession, he liked to garden in his personal garden and watch things grow. Learning about the Capital was wonderful to him.

"What about the Southern and Eastern Districts?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya scratched his cheek. "If I remember correctly, the Southern District is the most densely populated District, so I don't think anybody owns the rooftop gardens.

And the Eastern District is a different story. That District is the port District. The Great Hawk River that flows through the Capital separates the city in two. The Western and Northern Districts are on the upper side while the Southern and Eastern Districts are on the lower side.

The Eastern District is filled with warehouses. It is also the most neglected District in the city and the people who live there are the poorest. The Daimyō, and therefore the city, only care about the Royal East Shipping Company. The buildings and workers under that name deal with most of the imports and exports of the Capital which come through the water," Jiraiya said.

Naruto frowned. "That's sad. Those poor people," he said.

Jiraiya smiled at him. "What can you do? There's always going to be poor and rich people. The Capital is one of the largest and richest cities on the Mainland. Once you become Hokage, you'll make a few visits to the city to talk to the Daimyō."

Naruto's interest was peeked even further. "Would I? I don't see Jiji going often."

Jiraiya nodded. "He wouldn't mention it to a Genin. It's classified information. The Hokage and the Daimyō are two of the most important people in the Land of Fire. Ever since Konoha was built, one leader relied on the other. It goes even further than that, the Daimyō had set up the Twelve Ninja Guardians in the past to protect that huge city and himself. Naruto, you may not know this, but a ninja is quite the useful resource in this world," Jiraiya told him.

The words ringed bells into Naruto's ears.

" _I'm sorry, Zabuza-san, I couldn't be the tool you wished for me to be."_

Naruto groaned and rubbed his face. Jiraiya looked at him with worry. "Does everyone just see us as tools?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya took a moment to think of his answer. "No, only those won't truly understand each other will think of others as a means to an end. We're all human, that's a fact. Being a ninja shouldn't change that."

Naruto exhaled heavily. "It shouldn't, but people are assholes about it anyway."

Jiraiya sighed. The conversation brought up bad memories for Naruto. He knew it was time to stop talking. He took the pan off the fire and placed it between Naruto and himself. He then took out two forks and gave one to Naruto.

Naruto looked at the fork strangely and then to the pan. "You expect me to eat straight from the pan?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya scooped some of the food into his mouth. "Yes. Now shut up and eat."

* * *

 **The Next Day**

"Ah… Wonderful. Perfect weather to see some sexy babes around."

"Shut up Ero-sennin. There's nobody in those bushes. Come on, teach me something!" Naruto complained. He pulled on Jiraiya's clothing and dragged him out of the foliage.

Jiraiya picked himself up and dusted himself off. "Alright kid. Why don't we start with some chakra control exercises? Go on and climb that tree over there," Jiraiya ordered.

Naruto scowled slightly at Jiraiya before moving and climbing up the tree. Only with the use of his feet. "There. What's next?" he asked.

Jiraiya whistled. "Nice work there, kid. Now, go to the water and try walking on top of the surface. This is harder stuff than the bog-standard 'Tree-walking'," Jiraiya said.

Naruto dropped from the tree. Landing gracefully, he then lightly jogged to the meandering river. He didn't waster time as he walked on the water with no problem.

Naruto was getting annoyed with the exercises. He wanted to do some harder training. To show this, he began doing cart-wheels and somersaults on the water. Performing a water act for Jiraiya with the splashes.

Jiraiya exhaled through his nose. He could read Naruto's body language. The boy was not amused with the training regime so far.

"Alright, enough is enough. You made your point," Jiraiya said loudly.

Naruto stopped his circus act and looked towards Jiraiya. "Then, what are you going to teach me," Naruto asked.

Jiraiya scratched his chin and his eyes looked away from Naruto. "I was hoping that you weren't good at the Water walking. I wanted time to think of something for you to do," he admitted.

Naruto took a second to digest the information. His face turned to rage, and he pointed his finger at Jiraiya. "You are a useless Sensei!" he shouted.

Jiraiya gasped. "How could you say that to me!? I will have you know that I taught the Yondaime Hokage. He was my student," Jiraiya said.

Naruto's rage stopped. "Wait… He was your pupil?"

Jiraiya nodded with a smile. "He was. And my best. Nothing could touch him. He had limitless potential."

Naruto smiled himself. "If you were his Sensei, that means you must have a lot of jutsu, right?"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto strangely. "So… I do know a lot of jutsu, what does it matter to you?" he asked.

Naruto smile turned into a grin. "Ero-sennin. Me and you. A spar. If I impress you enough. You will teach me a jutsu for the Chūnin Exam finals," Naruto said.

Jiraiya chuckled. "You know, those deals usually are made when there is a true victor, right?"

Naruto sighed and looked at his hands. "I'm not strong enough to defeat someone like you. You may not seem like it, but I know you're strong. I can feel it," Naruto said.

"Hm. This doesn't seem like a fair deal," Jiraiya said. "Make me something better."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I'll stop calling you Ero-sennin for a week," he offered.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Deal." The words left Jiraiya's mouth straight away. ' _Damn!_ _I should have haggled the kid for goodness sake!'_

' _That was easier than I thought,_ ' Naruto thought.

Jiraiya looked around the area. "We will move from our camp. I've been warned that you can be destructive from Kakashi. I'm the same. I rather not damage our stuff," he said as he walked towards the forest.

Naruto followed Jiraiya to the forest. The two delved deep inside. The trees began to thin out. It didn't take long for the forest to disappear.

Naruto and Jiraiya were now standing before a large open plain of grass. The summer weather made the grass tall, it reached above their ankles.

Jiraiya jumped into the distance. He loosened himself up before crossing his arms. Jiraiya cracked his neck and stared down at Naruto. "Come on, give me your best shot," he ordered.

Naruto licked his lips from the challenge. This was the training he was waiting for. ' _A test against a member of the Sannin!'_

Naruto stuck his hand into his pouch and took out three shuriken. Running towards where Jiraiya was standing. He threw the shuriken all at the same time.

As the shuriken were released, they moved in different paths. However, they all had the same target, Jiraiya.

The shuriken flew through the air. Jiraiya watched them all carefully. To one of the Sannin, these shuriken were nothing more of a distraction. Jiraiya knew that. ' _What is Naruto thinking of doing? He should be smarter than this,'_ he thought.

Jiraiya moved his body accordingly to dodge the shuriken. Only needing to move his upper body, Jiraiya stayed in his spot. He was waiting for the next attack.

In a flash, Jiraiya saw blonde hair in the corner of his left eye. Naruto came in fast and was preparing his attack.

Naruto steadied himself on shifted his weight to his right foot. He then raised his left leg and aimed a kick at Jiraiya's left waist.

Jiraiya saw this from a mile away and simply moved his left hand. His left hand's grip was open. Ready to catch the senseless prey.

 **SNATCH!**

Naruto saw that his left ankle was now being gripped by Jiraiya's hand. He could feel the pressure being put on his bones by Jiraiya's squeezing action. It was excruciating pain for Naruto.

Keeping his will strong and grunting in pain, Naruto lifted his body up, using his gripped left ankle as an anchor. Naruto twisted his body and swung his right leg to hit Jiraiya's back. There was a considerable amount of power behind the attack.

Jiraiya spun on his left foot. His body was now face-to-face with Naruto's.

Naruto saw Jiraiya with a smile as Jiraiya raised his right arm to block his right leg. Naruto's first attempt of attack has failed.

Jiraiya's smile stayed on his face. "Not bad for a kid. Pretty flexible in a fight," he said. "Now, let's see what the real one can do."

Naruto's eyes widened. He didn't have time to react to Jiraiya's moves, the man's arms moved too fast for him to react properly.

The next thing Naruto knew was that a large and heavy fist colliding into his face. Naruto's body went to straight to the ground. Smacking hard against the dried-out dirt.

Jiraiya was standing over Naruto, watching him carefully. His right fist was still closed.

 **PUFF!**

The body dispersed and become smoke. Jiraiya laughed lightly from the turn of events. "A shadow clone... I knew it was a clone after all," he said.

Jiraiya turned around and began to scan his whereabouts. "I don't know where the real one is. Is there another clone? It feels like there are more than one around," Jiraiya mumbled under his breath.

Jiraiya walked around slowly. He was observing every detail. Jiraiya felt a tingle on his neck. He stopped moving. He retracted his foot and looked to the ground closely.

There was a very slight shine coming between the blades of grass. "Ninja wire. And high-quality stuff as well. Let's see what the brat has cooked up for me," he said as he broke the wire on purpose.

There were multiple whisper noises coming from multiple directions. Jiraiya looked around and saw singular kunai fire at him from three different directions. They shot one after the other.

Jiraiya sighed as he shook his head. "This is too simple." He put up his hands and caught the first two. The third was coming straight for his face. Jiraiya simply moved his head out of the way. "You're going have to do much better than that Naruto."

 **PUFF!**

As the third kunai was close to Jiraiya's face, the kunai puffed into smoke and Naruto appeared. It was a transformation. His fist was already closed and pulled back, ready to strike Jiraiya straight in the face.

Jiraiya freaked from the surprise. He dropped the kunai. The sharp heads dug their way through the ground.

Jiraiya raised his arms to block Naruto's attack. Next thing he knew, Jiraiya smelled the very faint scent of burning ink and paper.

While keeping his arms up, his eyes looked down. The kunai he dropped were going on fire. There were explosive tags wrapped tightly around the kunai handle. A hidden trap within a trap.

"That little piece of sh-"

 **BOOM!**

A loud and destructive explosion took place where Jiraiya was standing. A small dusty smoke cloud formed where Jiraiya was standing.

The wind passed, and the cloud disappeared. The only remains on the site were shredded up bark and wood. The smell of burnt pine was now in the air.

Jiraiya came out of the woods. His appearance remains untouched. He was clapping loudly. "Okay, I have to admit that was impressive Naruto. Now, come out and fight. I don't want to fight another clone," Jiraiya said.

' _He has got good skills at the basics. I'd give him that. Let's see what he will do now,_ ' Jiraiya thought.

Jiraiya looked around his surroundings once more. His search for Naruto has been more difficult than he thought it would be.

The noise of blustery and powerful winds came from his back. Jiraiya stopped and turned around. In the distance, Jiraiya could make out Naruto using a wind jutsu on him. A focused stream of wind chakra was coming his way.

"This reminds me of Orochimaru's **Wind Release: Great Breakthrough** … I better shield myself," Jiraiya said.

Jiraiya ran through six hand seals ending in Snake. " **Ninja Art: Needle Jizo** ," he said. Jiraiya's hair grew as his chakra flowed into it. Encasing his body, Jiraiya's hair has become has tough as steel.

Inside his hair shield, Jiraiya could feel the force of Naruto's jutsu. It was powerful at the start, but it slowly died down to the end. Once it stopped, Jiraiya disengaged his hair and let it return to normal.

Jiraiya looked around for Naruto once again. The boy kept running off out of his sights. It annoyed Jiraiya greatly. ' _I suppose it's a good thing for a ninja though…'_ he thought afterwards.

"God Damn! Nothing works on this guy… There's only one thing left to do."

Jiraiya looked around, searching for the source of the voice. "Was that Naruto? It must have been him," he said.

The next moment, Jiraiya's jaw dropped to the ground. All around him were waves beyond waves of Naruto shadow clones closing down on his location. There were simply too many to count. There must have been over a thousand.

The attack made Jiraiya sweat a little, he never had to deal with so many foes at the one time. ' _Wait… They're all clones… The real one must be far away from the pack,'_ Jiraiya thought. A smile appeared on his face as he thought of the perfect plan to exterminate his Naruto infestation problem.

Jiraiya weaved through his two hand seals, ending in Tiger. He then slammed his foot to the ground, sending his chakra to the earth. He performed **Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld**. The ground started to morph into sticky and swampy soil.

The Naruto clones couldn't move as they all become stuck from the heavy gunk. It didn't help that for every moment that passed, they would sink deeper into the fresh swamp.

Jiraiya sensing the opportunity to finish the fight runs through a new series of hand seals, again ending with Tiger.

Jiraiya pulls back his head as he produces a massive amount of oil. Ready to attack, he spewed out the oil all around him, it mixed in with the swampy grounds.

The Naruto started to complain about the disgusting terrain they're fighting on. The once beautiful grassland was now a ghastly oily swamp.

Jiraiya spits out a fireball from his mouth. It was aimed for the oil slicked swamp. The swamp immediately lit on fire.

"AAAAHHHH!"

The screams of Naruto clones being burnt alive then puffing into smoke echoed the plains. Jiraiya watched as the fire grew and grew, destroying Naruto's one army.

The heat was unbearable. Jiraiya was sweating buckets.

The screaming eventually stopped. Jiraiya laid his hands on the ground and sent his chakra into the ground. He began to control the swamp he created. The swampy ground lapped over itself. It killed the fire by depriving it of oxygen, an essential component for any fire. Once that was gone, so was the fire.

Jiraiya worked hard to make sure that he got every last flame. He regretted making such a large swamp and such a large fire, but he needed the fantastic attack to defeat Naruto and his army of clones.

The smoke cleared away. The grey air was disappearing to the atmosphere. Jiraiya walked towards the only chakra signature nearby.

Jiraiya there saw a tuckered-out Naruto. The boy was resting on the grassy ground. Jiraiya knew that he still had a lot in him, but he was getting a bit tired from the constant but changing attacks.

Naruto looked up to Jiraiya and saw that he was barely damaged. His clothes were just a bit dirty. Naruto started to hit the ground. "Damnit! That was so hard!" he shouted.

Jiraiya laughed and sat in front of Naruto. "That was good. I expected less from you," Jiraiya admitted.

"You are very strong Naruto. You have the strength to pass these exams. You are too much to be a Genin. But if you want to pass these exams and become a Chūnin, you will need to perform well. That's all," Jiraiya told him.

Naruto laid on his back and scratched his chin. "Jiji said something like that before… So, I don't have to win the whole thing," he asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No. You could lose in the first round and still become a Chūnin. All that matters is that you show that you have the skill to be a leader."

Naruto sat up straight and looked at Jiraiya with a puzzled face. "Like what?"

Jiraiya tapped on his lip, thinking of the best answer to give. "I got promoted when I was six and so did Kakashi… Though, since you are more mature, I suppose you will be tasked with more important missions. Hm… Okay, I say if you show your skills in the fights. Keeping a cool head and have a basic, easy to follow plan that will lead to the best success. That will get you promoted for sure," Jiraiya said.

Naruto sighed and nodded. "I'm sure if Mizuki passed these exams, then so can I."

Jiraiya exhaled at the mention of the traitor. He let it pass. "Naruto. Let me make one thing clear though. The exams this year will be harder than the exams ten years ago. Our ninja numbers in Konoha were lower so promotion was easier since we needed ranks to be filled. Also, there will be a lot of high status people at the exams in a few weeks' time. They all have a minor voice in your promotion."

Naruto bit his lower lip before a thought passed through his mind. "So, if someone didn't like me, they could like… stop my promotion from going through?" he asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, their opinions are only advice for the Hokage. Sensei will get the final say on your promotion. But he won't be biased and let you be promoted even if you perform horribly, so you better bring you're A-game at the finals!" Jiraiya encouraged.

Naruto smacked his fist into his open palm. His eyes had a shine in them. It made Jiraiya smile.

Naruto grinned. "You're right Ero-sennin! Just got to take it one stage at a time!"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "You made a deal you wouldn't call me that."

Naruto covered his mouth and giggled slightly. Calming down, he smiled at Jiraiya. "Sorry SENSEI, but it was a force of habit," Naruto said.

Jiraiya laughed from Naruto's actions. "It's alright. Now, you did impress me during our little bout. So, I should keep my end of the deal."

Naruto's blood started to pump. He was excited. Ever since he learnt his wind ninjutsu, he just wanted another one. He could only wonder what it could be.

Jiraiya stood up and walked a few paces away from Naruto. He bit his finger and spreads the blood across the palm of his left hand.

He started to weave through five hand seals, ending in Ram. The order of the hand seals was familiar to Naruto. It brought back bad memoires of the cross-dresser, Orochimaru.

Jiraiya slammed his open palm to the ground.

 **PUFF!**

A huge puff of smoke appeared. Naruto squinted his eyes to see what was through the smoke.

A new wind passed. The smoke cleared. It revealed a new creature.

"What the hell!? That's the biggest frog I've ever seen!" Naruto shouted.

Jiraiya turned around. His face was full of an anger. "That is not a frog! That is a toad! I cannot believe you just said that!"

Naruto looked at the huge animal in front of him. He didn't know the difference at all. "I'm sorry eh… Gama-san?" he said with a crooked smile.

Jiraiya clicked his tongue and looked up to the large toad. "Do it."

The toad spat out a large scroll and then went to sleep.

Naruto looked closer to the scroll with curious eyes. "What this thing?" he asked.

Jiraiya took the scroll and unwrapped it in front of Naruto. "This will be the binding between you and the Toad summons. They are a special clan and a respected one. You will need to sign your name in blood and to give your fingerprints in this contract. This is the jutsu I'm teaching you, the **Summoning Jutsu**."

"Woah," Naruto said. He looked at the name before him. "Look, you have the Yondaime's name there. That's pretty cool."

Jiraiya saw the happy face of Naruto and felt guilt wrap around his heart. Recent memories flashed through his mind.

" _Don't tell him. He's too young to know who his father is. As an older brother, you should be looking out what's best for him."_

" _What's best for him? I don't know what the 'best for him' is anymore in this damn village. Maybe we should just leave Konoha, huh? Jiraiya… I will not make any promises about this."_

Jiraiya shook his head to make the recent memory disappear. He then watched Naruto sign his name in blood. Naruto finished it off by putting his finger prints under his name.

Jiraiya wrapped up the contract and threw it towards the sleeping toad. Somehow in its sleep, the toad stuck out its tongue and then ate the contract. It disappeared afterwards in a puff of smoke.

The two stood up. "You watched me do the hand seals, right?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "I got it. That wasn't the first time I saw it."

Jiraiya's eyebrows went up. "Oh? Did Kakashi show you his dog summons?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. But Orochimaru did." Naruto's words were cold. "I got the whole show with that guy," he said.

Jiraiya sighed. ' _Why did I even ask?'_ he thought. Jiraiya hummed. "Alright, perform it once and try to summon a toad. It can be any toad, just go for it," he said.

Naruto nodded. He bit his right thumb and spreads the blood on his left palm. He weaved through the hand seals and slammed his open palm onto the ground. " **Summoning Jutsu!** "

A small puff of smoke appeared. The smoke cleared, and an orange toad made himself known. He wore a sleeve-less blue jacket.

"Yo," the toad said with a salute.

Jiraiya bent down and stared at the toad. "Naruto… with the amount of chakra you have… I expected Gamabunta or something, not this little guy," he said with disappointment.

The small toad frowned at Jiraiya. "Oi! Don't ruin my first summon punk. Or I'll tell Oyaji what you said about me," the toad said.

Naruto crouched down and looked at the angry toad. "What's your name? Mine's Naruto."

The toad crossed his arms. "Gamakichi is the name. I like you better than that old fool," he said pointing at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya stood back up. "Just like his father. They both have filthy mouths," he muttered under his breath.

Naruto laughed. "You're funny. Alright Gamakichi, I'm your new summoner. We're going to be the best, alright?" Naruto said. His fist was out, ready to be bumped.

Gamakichi made his hand into a closed fist and fist bumped with Naruto. This was the beginning of a wonderful relationship.

"Alright, I'm cool with that. Just don't be a fool. And get me some sweeties while we hang out," Gamakichi said. "Later."

The toad disappeared

Naruto was happy with the outcome. He got a new jutsu, a sweet summoning contract and a cool friend. A triple win for the blond Uzumaki. `

Naruto rubbed his hands together. The day has been fruitful and enjoyable so far. "What's next Ero… Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya smiled at Naruto's correction. He crossed his arms and started to pace up and down. "That's enough training for the day from me. You will go into the forest and get us dinner. Whatever animal you get must be skinned and cut into good portions, so I can cook it. Get some berries or nuts if you see any," Jiraiya ordered.

Naruto groaned. "You want me to get dinner?" he asked. "Come on, training has been so good so far. Let's keep it going."

Jiraiya wagged his finger towards Naruto. "This is still training for you. Survival skills are just as important as any other skill. How do you expect to survive in the field for long periods of time in enemy territory?" Jiraiya said.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I could just buy from their markets under a transformation or disguise."

Jiraiya sighed. "You could, but if there was no markets or people nearby, you would need to keep your hunting skills sharp."

Naruto bobbed his head to the side for a bit before nodding. "Okay, I get ya. I'll try and get something nice for us," he said. Naruto turned around and went towards the dense forest. He took out a kunai for his weapon.

Jiraiya smiled. "Good luck and get something nice. I'll be back at camp."

* * *

 **The Second Day**

The day was wonderful. Bright with sunshine. Cool and gentle breezes. The scent of mother nature everywhere around them.

Naruto and Jiraiya were sitting nearby their camp. They were only a few metres away from the estuary river.

"Naruto, what can you tell me about chakra?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto scratched his cheek. "It's made up of physical and spiritual energy. It's super important to us ninja."

Jiraiya nodded. "Correct. But don't forget that the Samurai have their use of chakra as well. What can you tell me about your Chakra?"

Naruto took a moment to think of his answer. "I don't know… What are trying to get at?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya rubbed his face. "Naruto. You have two different chakras."

"Oh yeah. Mine and the Kyūbi's. What about it?"

"Have you ever used the Kyūbi's chakra?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah… but it's not like I wanted to use it."

Jiraiya nodded with the answer. "When was the first time?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I didn't use it the first time but about… over a year ago. My eyes turned red when I looked into a mirror. And I felt this… hatred. The overwhelming hatred. I had no idea it was the Kyūbi.

The second time was when I thought Sasuke died. I just felt this overwhelming power gush out of me. I had no control over it. I don't really remember what happened until I calmed down," Naruto said.

Jiraiya hummed. ' _It seems danger and intense emotions are the triggers,'_ he thought.

"Why haven't you used the Kyūbi's chakra?" Jiraiya asked. "Have you've been told not to?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, nobody told me to do anything with the Kyūbi's chakra. So, I just didn't."

"Okay…" Jiraiya paced around again until he stopped suddenly and stared at Naruto. "I want you to try and mould some of the Kyūbi's chakra for me," Jiraiya ordered.

Naruto squinted his eyes at the man. "Are you insane?" Naruto has been wondering this since the day he has met him. Everything Jiraiya does just screams weird.

Jiraiya shook his head no. His stare did not waver. It made Naruto sweat slightly.

Naruto exhaled heavily. He then ran his hands through his hair. "Just a hint of that chakra made me go A-wall. Why should I even try to use it? I could kill you!"

Jiraiya laughed from the words. "Please Naruto. You can't kill me, even if you use the Kyūbi's chakra."

Naruto scoffed. "I'm glad you're so confident. Here's a question, how am I even supposed to mould it? I know Jack-shit about this stuff."

Jiraiya was surprised to hear those words. But then he remembered how both Naruto's mother and brother talked. ' _These Uzumaki are quite the mouthy bunch, aren't they?'_

Putting that aside, Jiraiya looked back to Naruto. "Well… what do you know?" he asked.

Naruto scratched his cheek. "That the Kyūbi is huge. It's super powerful and its whole body is made up of chakra. That's it really."

Jiraiya rested his chin on his hand. "Go to the river and meditate. The Kyūbi should be either in your subconscious or in your seal. Have a poke around and find out kid," Jiraiya said.

Naruto stayed where he was. His eyes were glued to Jiraiya. He was not a very happy ninja right now. "I thought this was training. Why aren't you training me?"

"I am training you. You're just not doing the work," Jiraiya said.

Naruto moved from his spot with his arms in the air. "I've had enough. I'm going to do my 'Training' now. See you later," he said.

Jiraiya chuckled. Even though Naruto's words were said in a harsh tone, he was still going to do the work.

Naruto walked a few paces away from Jiraiya before plopping to the ground with a huff. He rattled his body to make everything was loose.

Naruto's hands naturally moved to the Tiger hand seal. His eyes closed, and he steadied his breathing. His inner peace was coming to him.

Naruto was calm and tried his best to search for the bijū. In the history books, it was described to be the size of Hokage Rock. How difficult could it be to find such a large creature? Very difficult, considering the circumstances Naruto was in.

Naruto kept on searching for anything. A pulling sensation was felt all over his body. In a mere instant, everything changed for Naruto.

* * *

 **~ Unknown Location ~**

The feeling of water can be amazing or nasty. For Naruto's case for right now, it was very nasty.

Naruto's eyes opened wide. The scenic forest and river vanished. A dark, yellow sewage system was in front of him.

Getting himself together, Naruto got up and stood on top of the strange water.

Naruto felt that his clothes that were submerged in the water. They should have been soaked to the bone. Feeling the material, he gasped. Naruto's clothes were perfectly dry. It made no sense in the real world.

"This isn't the real world," Naruto concluded. "Is this the seal?"

Naruto looked around. Through his senses, he deduced that there was no other people here apart from him.

"Ero-sennin? Where are you?" Naruto shouted. He started to walk through the long corridor.

 **RUMBLE!**

As Naruto traversed through the corridors, a loud noise came from a distance. He couldn't tell what exactly it was, but it certainly belonged to something big. Something fierce.

Naruto felt the tingles go through his body. He was becoming nervous. More and more anxious as he walked more steps.

 **GROWL!**

Naruto's ears picked up the sound of a very deep and low tone growl. It was coming from his left. Looking in that direction, Naruto saw a long and dark corridor. Identical to the ones he's been going through for the last ten minutes. Naruto hoped it was ten minutes, he already lost track of time in this world.

Naruto decided to go down the dangerous and suspicious corridor. He was searching for the Monster Fox that destroyed Konoha on his birthday after all.

Trudging through, it didn't help Naruto that he felt a pressure grow heavier on him as he was reaching the end of the corridor. He didn't know if it was coming from the outside or if his body was acting strangely but it felt like he was under five times gravity. Every step was becoming harder than the last.

Naruto had to cover his eyes slightly as he entered the light. At the end of the corridor was a large square hall. There was no ceiling. Just a never-ending abyss of darkness.

Moving his eyes to look ahead, Naruto saw a large gate. A seal tag binding the two parts to one. The gate was tall and wide. Easily overshadowing the Hokage Tower.

Beyond the gate was darkness. Naruto couldn't see anything past the gate rails. He stepped closer to the gate. It felt right to do so. He imagined it would be a danger to stay in the same place for too long.

" **You have kept me waiting. For far too long. Uzumaki Naruto.** "

Naruto flinched and jumped a bit back from the booming voice. His eyes focused on the gate again.

Lights flashed on. The curtain has been revealed. " **The day we meet has finally come. Over twelve years of imprisonment. Of solitude. The boredom has been insufferable** ," The Kyūbi said loudly.

Naruto saw that the humongous creature was sitting up straight with its legs crossed. Each of its nine tails showed off themselves, moving in a waving fashion.

The Kyūbi bared its huge fangs, large enough to pierce through about anything. The large fox looked down at Naruto. The Kyūbi's slit eyes were focusing on Naruto.

The Kyūbi crossed its arms. " **What the hell do you want? Come on, I rather be sleeping than dealing with a puny human like you,** " The Kyūbi said harshly. There was a lot of hate behind the words.

Naruto flinched again. He was not used to talking to such a large and dangerous entity. Naruto swallowed his fear and stepped forward. "I'll tell you what I want. I want to use your chakra!" Naruto said.

The Kyūbi looked at Naruto with interested eyes. It began to laugh. Laugh hard.

"Hey!" Naruto got annoyed. Stomping his foot to the ground and raising his fist, Naruto narrowed his eyes on the monster in front of him. "What's so funny?"

The Kyūbi slammed his fist into the seal gates. Naruto had to cover his ears from the loud ringing noise emitting from the impact. The Kyūbi gripped one of the gate rails and came close to Naruto. The large creature had a menacing face.

" **You want to know what's funny. That you think you could just come in here and demand the use of my chakra. I am one of the legendary nine bijū, the most famous out of them all. A being with power that a little shit like you would struggle to even comprehend,** " The Kyūbi said.

Naruto stepped back and straightened up. "Why won't you lend it to me?" he asked.

" **Oh? It's lending now, huh? You wonder why, because I don't want to. Do you know what I do want?** " The Kyūbi asked.

Naruto shook his head no. He didn't.

The Kyūbi sunk and his face came closer to Naruto. " **I want to leave. Leave this damn hellhole and be free again.** "

Naruto scowled at the Kyūbi. It was a brave move. "You and I know that you can't do that."

" **You're right… for now. Let me warn you, I will escape out of this seal. I will promise you that. This world is filled with hate. I can feel it.** **Terrible events will happen again and again. It is inevitable. What happened twelve years ago, was one of these events. Another will come.** "

A question popped into Naruto's head as he listened to the Kyūbi's words. "You know what happened on that day?"

The Kyūbi scoffed. His face was filled with disgust. " **Like I would tell you brat.** **You humans know nothing.** "

Naruto crossed his arms and aimed his frowned face at the Kyūbi. "Shut up you stupid fox. I know lots of things," Naruto stated.

The Kyūbi laughed loudly. " **Hm. We'll see. Though you say something but it's not always true. Like that necklace around your neck. You have no idea what that thing is.** "

Naruto gripped the necklace he received from his brother two years ago. "This necklace. What's so important about it?" Naruto asked.

The Kyūbi pulled back from the gate and sat cross-legged again. " **I'm sure you will find out at some point. It's a very old heirloom. Ancient even** ," the Kyūbi said.

Naruto knew he wasn't going to get an answer today about the necklace. He might some other time but if he pestered the fox, he was sure he was going to get bit.

Naruto still had to try once more for the other request. "Kyūbi… I want to use your chakra. Please lend me some."

The Kyūbi furrowed its eyebrows and narrowed its eyes at Naruto. " **Leave me alone. I don't want to deal with you anymore.** "

The Kyūbi got off it's bum and began to walk away into the distance.

"Wait!" Naruto walked a step forward. "I need to use it to get stronger."

The Kyūbi growled. " **Fuck off**."

Naruto's vision turned black and everything disappeaered. He felt he was being rag-dolled against his will. He lost all control of his senses.

* * *

 **Training Camp**

The eyes of Naruto fluttered open slowly. The light coming from the bright and shining sun was a pain to behold. He moved his hand to provide shade.

Naruto was silent. Breathing in and out with a slow rhythm. He was going over what just happened.

He removed his hand and stood up. Naruto cracked then his back, it was stiff from the meditation position. He then began to look around for Jiraiya. The older man must be around close. Naruto was sure of that.

Naruto headed back towards camp. He couldn't find Jiraiya anywhere nearby. He assumed his new Sensei would by either eating or writing his erotica.

It was something Naruto didn't fully comprehend yet. Jiraiya assured him that once he was a bit older, he will be begging Jiraiya to read his books. Naruto didn't see that happening either.

Naruto waltzed back to the camp. There was nothing there apart from his and Jiraiya's backpacks. The signs of a messy sleep and a haphazard meal was evident.

"How did it go?" the voice of Jiraiya asked.

Naruto turned his head to the nearby river. Jiraiya was sitting on a large boulder that resided close to the flowing water. The man was smoking from a long pipe. His pen and notebook was laid in front of him.

' _At least I got one thing right,_ ' Naruto thought.

Naruto walked up to Jiraiya and sighed depressingly. "It was a total bust," he admitted. Naruto was very disappointed. He didn't know what the hell to expect but to come out with nothing was a piss poor showing.

Jiraiya puffed out some of his smoke. The aroma was soothing. He then chuckled lightly. "At least you gave it your best shot. Confronting the Kyūbi himself is worthy of a praise," Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded with a smile.

Jiraiya inhaled some air through his nose before speaking. "Actually, that makes me wonder… Is it a he or a she?" Jiraiya asked. He was most curious about it.

Naruto sat down on the rocky ground and crossed his arms. "The Kyūbi had a deep, manly voice. But I couldn't tell what it was."

Jiraiya sucked on his pipe. He then blew out the smoke. "It is something to think about…"

The two stayed in silence. It was enjoyable for them to relax in the peace.

"Naruto? Are you still feeling energetic?" Jiraiya asked him. The day was still young. There was plenty to do before the night eventually came.

Naruto jumped to his feet. His fists started to shake. "Yeah! Are you going to teach me something!?" Naruto said with excitement.

Jiraiya turned to Naruto with a smile. "Eh… We'll see. From our fight yesterday, I take it your chakra affinity is 'Wind', correct?"

Naruto nodded. "It is. Are you going to teach me another jutsu?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya bobbed his head side to side before answering. "I don't know, maybe. So, you are familiar to nature transformations and shape manipulation then. I assume the academy and Kotero has taught you about all that stuff. The basics and whatnot."

Naruto nodded. "Yep. I'm good at it but still have a bit to work on."

Jiraiya smiled. "Why don't we begin on another element then? It'll be good to start young. The first two Hokage and Sensei could use all five nature transformations. I know for a fact that each of them started… relatively young."

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Shouldn't I focus on my affinity?" he asked.

Jiraiya sighed. "See, you're at a stage with 'Wind' chakra where I won't be able to improve on it. Well, at least not here. And we would need much more time. My affinity is 'Earth'. That big swamp I made yesterday is one of my pride and joys. How about we go for that?" Jiraiya offered.

Naruto thought about it. "I don't know like… I already tried to start to do 'Water'. Nii-chan left stuff for me to do when he left for Kirigakure a few months back and that was a list of things to try out. I was struggling with it a lot… I only just got better a bit, but I haven't focused on it too much since then."

Jiraiya grinned. This could certainly be part of their training. "Oh? That sounds good. That could actually help in your fight with Gaara or Shino if it came to that. Even Sasuke's fire ninjutsu. Wind and Water are a great combination. If I remember, your mother was very good at using those elements."

Naruto smiled deeply. "I know. Jiji told me about it. Nii-chan can use the same elements as well. But he's much better at the 'Water' stuff than the 'Wind'."

Jiraiya hummed in agreement. He jumped off the boulder after packing his items. "I know. He has been practising them for years though. What do they call the Uzumaki clan again? The-"

"The Children of the Storm," Naruto answered for him. "A very cool name."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, your clan were respected and feared. On the same status as the Senju and the Uchiha when it was still on its feet," he said.

Naruto exhaled heavily. "At least I can take pride that it took multiple ninja armies to take down the clan on a surprise attack."

Jiraiya could sense the conversation going down a dark path. He decided to change things up. He turned around and started to walk up stream.

"Come on, we better go," Jiraiya said. Jiraiya headed off down the river. Naruto followed his every footstep.

The pair reached a calm spot on the river. Jiraiya took out a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Naruto. "This will help you with your training."

Naruto looked at the paper. It was a square. "Is that chakra paper?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No. It isn't chakra paper. This is your training tool."

Naruto focused on the piece of paper. "What am I going to do with it?" he asked. "Soak it with my chakra?"

Jiraiya smiled and nodded. "Correct. You are going to grip in between your hands and try to expel water chakra to soak the piece of paper. If we trying to train for 'Earth', we would have gotten a leaf and try to suck out the moisture. This is the opposite."

Naruto nodded. "I tried this before. It didn't work out too well," Naruto said.

"I got that already. Clearly you need more time to practice. Now, watch me," Jiraiya said. He placed the paper in between his palms. He then closed his eyes.

Opening them a second later with a smile, Jiraiya revealed a soggy piece of paper. It was ripping apart itself because of the water.

"Woah," Naruto said.

"Woah indeed," Jiraiya said. "Now, you have a go. Remember, each chakra element behaves differently. Water is flowing. Heavy but fast. Thinking of the traits of water or even water itself helps with this training."

Jiraiya stuck his hand into his deep pocket and grabbed another square piece of paper. He tossed it to Naruto's feet. Afterwards, he turned around and started to walk away.

"Oi." Naruto was confused. "Why are you leaving?" he asked.

Jiraiya turned his head but his feet kept moving. "I need to do some research. I won't be able to do the baby steps for you. It'll be better to do this by yourself."

"Research? Damnit! You're such a perv!" Naruto shouted at him with the point of his finger.

Jiraiya laughed hard as he walked further and further away. "When you grow up, you'll just be as bad as me!" he said before disappearing.

Naruto was alone. A common occurance in his life. Again, he was left to his own devices. At least this time, the aspiring ninja had a clear direction. But working alone is a bore, especially to Naruto. Having someone there to encourage you can do wonders to the soul.

Naruto bit his right thumb and spreads his blood across his left palm. Going through the hand seals, ending in Ram, he smacked his hand to the dirt ground and used the **Summoning Jutsu**.

A puff of smoke appeared in front of him. Orange arms and hands woofed the smoke away. Gamakichi has come out to play.

"Yo Naruto." Gamakichi saluted him with a slight smile. "Long time no see bro," he said.

Naruto laughed lightly. "Yeah, only yesterday really."

Gamakichi crossed his arms. "What's up bro? You need me for something?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, just thought we could hang while I train," Naruto said.

Naruto sat on the floor and took up the piece of paper. He was about to start his training.

"You got any sweeties?" Gamakichi asked. "I'm hungry."

Naruto shook his head. "Does it look like there's a sweet shop nearby?" he asked. His words were dripping with sarcasm.

Gamakichi huffed. "Jeez. You don't have to be cheeky bro. I'll just hop to the water," he said. Gamakichi leaped over to the slow flowing river and jumped in. He kept to the edge. "Oh… That's nice."

Naruto smiled as he focused on his hands. "That's good Gamakichi. I'm happy for you," he said.

The boy and his toad stayed silent after that. Naruto focused on the task on hand whilst Gamakichi relaxed under the wonderful sun. Their priorities were the complete opposite of each other, yet they enjoyed each other's company.

After an hour or so, Naruto dropped the piece of paper between his hands. He let out an exasperated sigh. A bead of sweat dribbled down his forehead.

Gamakichi popped his head up and watched Naruto. He was interested in him. After all, Naruto was his first summoner. A connection between them that can never be broken.

"What're you trying to do?" Gamakichi asked.

Naruto wiped the sweat off him. Looking at the little toad, he was surprised that it took this long for Gamakichi to ask him that. He thought it would have happened around the second he started.

"I'm trying to conjure up 'Water' chakra but I'm struggling," Naruto told him.

Gamakichi tilted his head to the side. "Why are you struggling so much? That piece of paper there looks bone dry."

Naruto smiled but behind that smile was frustration. And lot's of it. "I know that Gamakichi." His words told the toad that he was annoyed.

Gamakichi took a moment to think of a solution. Anything to help out his new friend. "Why don't you try doing it in the water?" Gamakichi suggested.

Naruto laughed. "Then the paper would get soggy from the river, not from my chakra," Naruto said.

Gamakichi frowned. "That's not what I meant. I mean like, get your feet in the water and do it. Not do it in the water ya fool!" he said.

"Oh." Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I know that Nii-chan trains on the water. I should have thought of this sooner!"

"Nii-chan?" Gamakichi asked.

Naruto took off all his clothes apart from his shinobi trousers and walked on top of the water. He placed himself in the centre of the river.

"I have an older brother. He's good at this 'Water' stuff," Naruto explained.

Gamakichi nodded. "I get ya. I have a little brother. Gamatatsu is his name. We were born in the same spawn. I think when he was an egg, a rock hit him."

Naruto turned his head to the toad with a questioning look. "Why do you say that?"

Gamakichi sighed heavily. "You'll understand once you meet him."

Naruto looked at his hand. "Should I summon him?" he asked.

Gamakichi waved his arms in the air. "NO! He's not ready yet!" he shouted.

Naruto stepped back. "Jeez, quiet down Gamakichi. I heard you the first time. I won't summon him."

Gamakichi sighed a breath of relief.

Naruto got back to his chakra training as soon as Gamakichi relaxed in the water again.

Naruto kept his focus and tried to form and create the water chakra. All he wanted was the piece of paper to get soaked. Nothing else would satisfy him.

Hours pass. Naruto opened his hands and saw the paper was crumbled and damp from his sweat. No trace of water chakra was to be seen. Naruto groaned in disappointment.

"No luck this time huh," Gamakichi said from a distance away.

Naruto turned his head to see the toad smiling up to him. "I thought you left ages ago."

Gamakichi shook his head. "Nah. Decided to stay and watch. It was funny watching you with that weird struggling face of yours," Gamakichi said.

Naruto grunted. "Oh yeah?" His words were hostile. "Did I really look like that much of a joke to ya?" he asked.

Gamakichi sensed the foreboding terror. "You always looked like a joke to me," he said with a laugh afterwards.

Naruto grunted again. "Stupid toads and their damn mouths," he muttered under his breath.

Naruto walked over to Gamakichi and sat beside him. "So… when do you go home?" Naruto asked.

"If I was fighting with you, I would have left ages ago. But all I did was rest in the water, minding my own business. So, I didn't need to go… But Oyaji is probably worried about me," Gamakichi said.

"What's he like?" Naruto asked afterwards. "He must be a strong toad from what Ero-sennin told me."

Gamakichi nodded. "He's strong alright. And a drunk, which makes him super scary. And a smoker, one puff from Oyaji and people would mistake it for a cloud."

Naruto smiled. "He must be huge then."

"You'll find out soon enough. Oyaji will treat you good unless you act like a fool to him. Or do something stupid. Oyaji is a proud toad, you'll have to get his respect," Gamakichi said.

Naruto grinned at the words. "Respect, eh? That'll be easy." Naruto stood up and cracked his back. "I'm done for the day Gamakichi. Go home and get a good rest," Naruto said.

Gamakichi saluted. "Will do bro," he said. He then vanished in a puff of smoke.

Naruto headed towards the camp. It didn't take him long to arrive. Naruto raised his eyebrows at the camp. There was no sign of Jiraiya. His backpack was still there, so Naruto assumed his "Research" is taking longer than he expected.

' _Or maybe they take up the whole day?'_ Naruto thought afterwards.

Naruto cracked his knuckles and searched through his bag. "Right, I'll make a bit of dinner. Then I'll go to bed. Then tomorrow, Ero-sennin will help train me. Sweet plan!" Naruto said.

Following his words, Naruto did everything he said. After a hearty meal, Naruto went straight to sleep.

* * *

 **The Third Day, Morning**

 **SPLASH!**

"AH! What the hell!?" Naruto shouted. He jolted in response to cold water being gushed straight to his face.

Naruto tried to get up, but he couldn't. He was tied up. All his potential movements were nullified. Any attempt now was futile.

"What happened to me?" Naruto wondered as he looked down at himself. He was tied up in rope. His feet were stuck together, and his hands were behind his back. "ERO-SENNIN! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Naruto shouted to the top of his lungs.

Naruto was anxious. Scared. If he was tied up like a pig ready for the spit, what could have happened to Jiraiya. Was he okay? Naruto's worry grew with every passing moment.

 **RUFFLE!**

"What was that?" Naruto said as his eyes focused on the bush ahead of him. "Is someone hiding in there?"

The ruffling stopped, and a large figure jumped out. Some would say a horrifying figure.

"Jira-chan was right! Naruto-chan woke up from my water!"

Naruto began to squirm away. Someone terrifying was in front of him. And there was no easy escape.

There was a toad in front of Naruto. Naruto saw green shiny skin and a face with large red lips. A huge ribbon tied on his back. "Gamariki is here to help Jira-chan by helping Naruto-chan!" Gamariki said.

Naruto frowned. "Eh… You can go back," he said.

Gamariki clasped his hands together and started to tear up. "How can such a cute young man like Naruto-chan not want my help? Jira-chan will scold me if I don't give him the message," the camp toad said.

Naruto stopped wiggling like a worm and focused on Gamariki. "Waaaaait a minute! Ero-sennin left you a message?" Naruto asked.

Gamariki pouted at the words. "Hmph, 'Ero-sennin' is so crude Naruto-chan. To answer your question, he did. It is here on a letter."

Naruto smiled at the answer. "Well? What does it say?" Naruto was desperate for the answer. He needed to pound Jiraiya for tying him up.

Gamariki looked at the piece of paper. He started to mouth the words. " _Naruto. It is time to test your skills. This is a trial to see if you have what it takes to be a Chūnin of Konoha. I have taken all of your possessions apart from one kunai. I even have your wallet, Gama-chan, under hostage with me. Meet me at the 'Forgotten Village of Fire and Earth'._

 _Your deadline is five days. If you make it here before the deadline ends, you will get a reward that will help you with your exams. I will see you soon. From your amazing Sensei, Jiraiya-sama. PS: Reverse summoning is not going to work for this test. The toads won't let you do it…_ Did you get all that Naruto-chan?" Gamariki asked.

Naruto's jaw was to the floor. "Are you for real? Is he serious with this!? I'm gonna get you for this you perverted bastard!"

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	18. Chapter 18 - Wise Sage, Wise Cracks (P2)

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 18 – Wise Sage, Wise Cracks (Part 2)**

Gamariki read over the message once more. "Naruto-chan. Jira-chan is totally serious darling. I wish you the best of luck! Ta-ta," the camp toad said. Gamariki puffed away back to Mt. Myōboku, the toad's homeland.

Naruto was speechless. Shocked to the core by the actions of Jiraiya, he was in a state where he couldn't do anything.

After a few moments, Naruto returned to his senses. "I'm going to kill the bastard," he swore. Naruto's voice was deadly serious. Being this annoyed was a new territory for Naruto, he had to commend Jiraiya for it. Not by much though, but it showed that Jiraiya was really something else compared to the average ninja.

"Alright. Being tied up isn't going to help anyone. Looks like I'll have to perform the **Rope Escape Jutsu.** How did it go again? Cross your fingers together and send chakra to your hands and feet!" Naruto said. He performed the actions he recalled.

The tied knot around his wrists suddenly ripped. The technique worked.

Naruto sighed a breath of mighty relief. He then dragged himself across the dry ground to the letter and single kunai left by Gamariki.

Naruto grabbed the kunai and reversed gripped the blade. Slashing the rope apart around his ankles, Naruto freed himself from his restrictions.

Seeing that he was finally free, Naruto decided to investigate their base camp. Looking around for any sign of Jiraiya or his possessions, Naruto had no luck. His new Sensei actually took all his stuff and ran away. The shenanigans truly astounded Naruto.

"What a bastard!" Naruto muttered under his breath.

Naruto dusted himself off after he noticed how dirty his clothes were. He deduced that he must have been rolling around all night on the dirt ground. Jiraiya must have stolen his sleeping bag from right under his nose. Naruto, despite being annoyed, was impressed Jiraiya managed to take it without him waking up.

Naruto grunted after he looked all around their now former camp. "It really is gone huh," he said.

Naruto ran his hands in his hair and tried to think of his new plan. "So… This is a test. All I have to do is find this _'_ Forgotten Village of Fire and Earth'. If we go by the name, it's forgotten. Shit… This means I have to find out from some old guy where this place is," Naruto said.

Naruto rubbed his face after grunting heavily. "Why couldn't I have had a normal Sensei? Nii-chan or Kakashi-sensei would have been so much better right now. Sasuke… I'm really jealous of you, for real this time," he said.

Naruto was in a real pickle at the moment. He had no idea where he actually was. Naruto was not familiar with the rural geography outside of Konoha. Sure, he has seen maps of the Mainland, but he didn't bother to learn all the town names or the country's various regions.

Naruto was also without his wallet, Gama-chan. All his travel money was in there. Seeing that he had to go and meet Jiraiya in less than five days, he simply couldn't work and get the money for a hotel or a nice meal. He would now need to either steal money or the food itself. Something he shouldn't do unless it was a mission to pickpocket someone specifically. Naruto thought he had morals but now he has to throw them out of the window.

It also didn't help that Naruto needed a change of clothes. He slept in the clothes he trained in the night before. It wasn't necessarily the worst problem on Naruto's list, but he has grown accustomed to wearing clean and fresh clothes on a new day.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Things are really stacked against me. This isn't fair," he said.

" _There are many missions that are beyond dangerous and cannot be avoided. The ability to show courage to teammates when needed, and the ability to get through a bad situation. That is what we look for in a Chūnin, a squad leader."_

The words of Ibiki passed through Naruto's mind. Ibiki's words made Naruto frown. It then transformed into a grin. Exhilaration flowed into his blood, Naruto cracked his knuckles in anticipation for what's to come.

"I'll win this game you carefully laid out Ero-sennin. No one will get the best of me when it comes to cheap tricks and pranks. After all, I am the Prankster King. I will one-up you soon enough. And you won't be the only one to suffer the consequences hehe," Naruto declared.

* * *

 **Jagged Wild Forest**

As soon as the message was read, Naruto moved out of his former base camp and moved North, to the Capital of the Land of Fire, the Hanging Gardens.

Jumping from branch to branch, Naruto noticed that the trees around him were huge. It was growing in wild directions.

It made sense however, Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, was responsible for this obstacle course. A request from the Daimyō from his time asked for many forests to be grown to surround the farmed fields of the Capital. Hashirama, the great man that he was, did it in a heartbeat.

Jiraiya told Naruto that there was a major wood shortage at one point after major redevelopment in the Capital. Since the economy was at a poor state and it was early spring at the time, it made sense that Senju Hashirama was called into service for his unique bloodline limit, the Wood Release.

Naruto stopped and took a closer look on some of the trees. They resembled trees that were growing for centuries. Yet, he knew the First Hokage was only alive Eighty or Ninety years ago when he did this for the Daimyō and the Capital City. The artificial forest didn't exactly reap much benefits for the Capital. Animals such as Dire wolves and Leopards have come in and made sections of the vast forest into their homes.

The Dire Wolves stay in the rocky and forested hills whilst the Leopards reside in the Jagged Wild's basin. Both terrains are different, with their own individual climates. However, since both are so close to each other, the two hunter animals eat from the same platter.

Even the waters in the Jagged Wild Forest weren't safe. Crocodiles made their nests along the banks of the river and lakes in the vast and dense forest.

Naruto knew this forest was a danger zone. The workers of the Capital are too scared to come in and chop down the trees, even with guards, it was simply too much trouble.

The only reason they tolerate the dangers is because both animals are expensive on the market. Their pelts go for high prices all across the Mainland. For this reason, brave hunters have traversed into the Jagged Wild Forest to make their break. Most don't return.

It greatly reminded him of the Forest of Death back in Konoha. However, Naruto would rather deal with vicious man-eating animals than Orochimaru again.

Naruto has been traversing through the deadly forest for some time now. It really shocked him how big it was. Full of life and fresh air, he could understand why an animal would love to live here forever.

Naruto shook his head violently and focused on the task at hand. Crouching down, he upped his speed and jumped from tree to tree with more pace compared to before. Naruto wasn't travelling at top speed though, Jiraiya had taken all of his food and possessions. Naruto didn't want to burn a ton of energy and then feel famished to the point of not wanting to move at all.

Time passed, and it seemed for Naruto that the forest wasn't changing. That his eyes were tricking him for fun. Or that he could be in a genjutsu. Naruto doubted the latter. He's gotten pretty good at noticing strange occurrences with his senses. He was confident he would be able to determine if he was in one or not.

Naruto grunted and decided to keep going forward.

Thankfully, the trees began to thin out. More light came through in between the trees. More and more grass was growing around. Naruto jumped to the treetops, breathing a sigh of relief, his eyes saw the outline of the city skyline. The Capital of the Land of Fire, The Hanging Gardens, showed off its glory.

Colossal walls that stood tall, forty metres tall in fact. In the far distance, Naruto saw the Core. The Daimyō's palace could be easily seen. A tall tower with multiple levels, with smaller towers and buildings coming out of the main. It was enclosed by its own wall.

Naruto thought it was some defence. It made sense since the Capital is a location of major crossroads in terms of trade routes and resources. Because of this, this made the city the largest in the Mainland. It also made the Land of Fire a major player in the World Economy.

Naruto didn't know or care too much about that right now. He could learn all that when he became the Hokage.

Naruto looked up to the sky and saw the sun was high up. "Must be around noon. I better get inside and find out where this 'Village' is before the day is over," Naruto said.

 **Rumble!**

Naruto covered his belly with his hands and groaned heavily. "Jeez, I'm so hungry. I need food. Haven't ate since last night. Damn you Ero-sennin! I will get you back for this," Naruto swore.

Naruto cracked his neck and fingers. "There's no point waiting around. I better get a move on!"

Naruto jumped from the trees and ran ahead, running towards the Imperial Gate, the entrance to the Southern District of the Capital.

* * *

 **Ivory Market Plaza**

"Hm… Where to go? Where should I go?" Naruto muttered under his breath.

Naruto was walking through the cramped streets of the Southern District. The most populous and multi-cultural of the districts. He was currently in the Ivory Market Plaza. The centre point of trade in the city. Naruto knew that the name is named after the rare material was because the market lays on white and yellow brick flooring which was designed with intricate patterns.

There were many shops ranging from blacksmiths, cobblers and florists. Naruto was in one of, if not the largest of markets in the Mainland. Anything you wanted, it could be found in this very large space.

There was only two things Naruto needed and he had no clue where to find it or even get a good hold of it. Information about the mysterious "Village" his wonderful Sensei, Jiraiya, has gone to. And money.

Naruto kept his eyes peeled all around him, but he wasn't sure on what to do next. He had no contacts in the Capital City. The place was humongous. Konoha couldn't even compare to it.

"I'd say the first thing to do is to get some food and a cold drink… But how am I supposed to get those?" Naruto wondered.

Naruto sighed as he only had one answer. "Looks like I'm going to 'borrow' some money," he said.

Naruto walked through the streets once again. Looking from the left and then to the right, he was trying to spot and find a weak target. Someone who would splash a lot of cash and wouldn't notice some of it went missing.

"Pickpocketing… A staple of any skilled ninja. To take an item, which could be a mission objective, without the target noticing the action. Ero-sennin, is this one of my trials to see if I'm good enough to be a Chūnin?" Naruto said. His voice was serious. His hunger and sanity were on the line.

Naruto walked towards the Old Town of the Plaza. There was an antique store nearby.

"Oh my! That looks wonderful! I must have it," a plump woman said loudly.

Naruto focused on the woman. The plump lady had black hair with a hint of grey in her roots. She wore expensive clothing and had one gold ring on her left hand. A wedding band.

Naruto watched her actions closely. If he could say anything conclusive, it was that she was probably from the Western District. Naruto wondered why someone of high-status would be here. However, it shouldn't have surprised him at all, it was human nature to want a good bargain. That's one thing all people have in common.

The merchant who owned the store came out with a huge smile. He could smell the money already. Now he just needed to close the deal.

"Ah Madame, how can I be of service to you?" the merchant asked.

Naruto ignored their conversation for now. He moved his eyes to what she was looking at.

Naruto had to admit that what she loved surprised him. A vintage Samurai suit. One that was made at least a century ago as it had the Fire Daimyō's insignia from two generations ago engraved on the shoulder pad. The current Daimyō's grandfather. The Samurai must have belonged in his personal guard.

The suit was worth a fortune. Naruto had no idea on the value of antiques or collectables but a Samurai suit of the Royal Guard, in pristine condition, was probably worth more money than what he had in his bank account.

Naruto moved closer to the pair. He rested on a supporting beam of a nearby stall and watched the two carefully. The woman was giving a deposit and signing a contract. Naruto knew she would hire movers to get that hulking suit of armour back to her home.

"That's it! I'm sure your husband is going to love the present," the merchant said with a smile. Making a large sale would make anybody happy.

The plump woman smiled as well. "He better like it! Hohoho," she said with a mighty laugh. "I will come back tomorrow around the same time."

The merchant waved a goodbye and went back to his store.

The plump woman kept her purse loosely by her side. An easy steal for anyone who has any skill.

"Target locked on. Let's go," Naruto said. He moved from his spot, walking in the path of the plump woman.

Naruto deftly moved his hand towards the woman's purse. Going in smoothly, he grabbed as much as he could. Feeling his heartbeat go high, Naruto took it out and stashed the cash into his pocket. The dense crowd of people around them made things easier. The noise was simply too loud to hear her money rattle.

Naruto accidently bumped shoulders with the woman as soon as he put the money away. She was quite the wide woman.

"Watch where you're going you impudent brat before I call the guards on you!" the now angry plump woman shouted.

Naruto bowed his head. "Sorry Ma'am, I didn't mean to. An honest mistake. Hope you have a good day," Naruto said with grace.

The woman snorted through her nose and went off her way. Strutting loudly with every step, her arrogance was annoying Naruto. She clearly thought she was of a higher status than him.

' _Déjà vu,'_ Naruto thought with a sigh.

"What a bitch," Naruto muttered under his breath once he saw that the woman has vanished from his view.

Naruto moved his way out of the busy plaza. He saw an empty alleyway. Turning to the right, he jumped to the space, there he began to start to count his cash.

"One, two, three… Five Thousand ryó. Damn, how much money did that woman carry? Does she not know thieves are around?" Naruto said. "Let's keep this safe in my pocket and buy something quick!"

Naruto went back out of the plaza and went to the food stalls. There he was sure to find something good to eat on.

Once he arrived, all Naruto saw was raw produce. Cuts of pork and beef hung off hooks on the stalls. Baskets and more baskets of fruit and vegetables were shown off to the public to buy. It all looked good, it was a good season and the early harvest was a great time to buy food, but Naruto wanted to buy a hot meal, not a raw dish.

Naruto saw a fishmonger who was slicing salmon fish. Making sure it was all ready to sell. Naruto went up to the bald man. "Yo Ossan! Is there any good places for ramen around here?" Naruto asked, even mimicking the actions for eating the noodles with chopsticks.

The man squinted his eyes at Naruto before wedging his deba knife into his worktop. The man showed a prime piece of salmon fillet. "Kid… Why not buy some of this fresh fish instead of that greasy ramen. It's the catch of the day. Caught in the Great Hawk River just this morning. Filleted by yours truly. I'll sale you four for the price of five," the man said enthusiastically.

Naruto shook his head and laughed. "I'm sure my Nii-chan would buy it but not me."

The fishmonger laughed and slapped the table. "You're killing me here," his face turned to a deadly cold one, "seriously," he said. His expression then changed to a more light-hearted one. "Why not buy some for your older brother then?" he asked.

Naruto chuckled nervously. "He's not with me at the moment. It would just go to waste. I'm sure that would get you even madder. So, do you know any ramen places?" Naruto asked again.

The fishmonger sighed. "Go to the bridge that links the Southern and Northern District. Go down Wasabi street and there should be a ramen bar there. It's called Takara Ramen. It's probably the best ramen in the Capital but it's a bit on the expensive side if you ask me," he said. The fish monger proceeded to get another salmon fish and started to descale it.

Naruto bit his lip. He wasn't a fan of spending money. He knew that nobody was. "How much is for a bowl?" he asked.

"Without any toppings, seven hundred ryō. With all the toppings, one and a half thousand ryō," the fishmonger said.

Naruto gasped. "Shit, that's expensive ttebayo. I can only afford a few bowls if I wanted a lot. Alright, thanks Ossan!" Naruto said as he ran towards his new destination.

"Get out of here kid."

Naruto weaved through the heavy crowd of people. He rushed it, moving fast and jumping over obstacles, Naruto needed to get some grub.

It didn't take Naruto long to get to the bridge that linked the Southern and Northern districts. It was humongous. Spanning all across the flowing water. It was honestly a great feat of engineering. The bridge was wide so many civilians and guardsman can travel from one district to the other without hassle.

Halfway on the bridge, there was a tall watchtower. Naruto deduced it must be one of the major guard posts in the Capital. His focused eyes showed him that there were many archers posted all around the top.

The archers were one of the reasons Naruto hasn't been on the rooftops at all in his time in the Capital. The archers will see him and report him. Only shinobi on missions have the authority to traverse on the rooftops without any trouble. Or be a ninja guardian. Naruto was neither of these things.

Naruto moved his way along the river until he saw the sign post for Wasabi street. Turning right, Naruto entered a sloped street that was also packed with people. A crowded human sea. Naruto sighed and moved his way through the people with a frown. It was getting irritating for him.

Naruto eventually saw the tell-tale signs of a ramen establishment. The smell of pork, chicken and fish broth in the air. The sound of splashing water. The flaps covering the entrance of the restaurant.

"Here we go, sorry Teuchi-ossan, I'm going to try something new," Naruto said as he entered the ramen restaurant, Takara Ramen.

Naruto found it quite different from his usual place, Ichiraku Ramen, since nearly every seat was taken. Naruto quickly made his way to a lonely stool. Taking his spot, he was given a slip of paper and a pencil.

Looking at the paper, it was covered with text and blanked-out boxes. Naruto read through it, it was all the toppings and options available for his ramen bowl. "Oh? A custom bowl… Sounds interesting!" he said.

Naruto ticked every option possible for one bowl. The total was going to be the top price, one and a half thousand ryō. Naruto was crossing his fingers that this better be the best damn bowl of ramen he ever had in his life.

The slip of paper was taken by an old man in a chefs outfit. He had a braded beard and a short ponytail. Wrinkles and grey hair showed his wisdom. Naruto was watching the man call out different orders and ingredients to his sous chefs while making his bowl. Having the head chef make his bowl made Naruto very excited.

Naruto was getting hot. He took off his forehead protector and had put it into his pocket for safekeeping. Just as soon as it was in his pocket, his bowl was served.

"Please enjoy the meal!" the head chef said. His hands were clasped together, and he did a small head bow.

Naruto mirrored the action. "I will. Thank you for the meal!" Naruto said. He took a pair of wooden chopsticks and started to eat the meal slowly. It was the most expensive bowl of ramen he has paid for.

Naruto took a few noodles with a slice of pork belly. Eating it, he tasted the incredible flavours explode in his mouth.

Thanking the plump woman that he stole money off, Naruto slurped more and more in delight.

"Did you hear about the man who can make diamonds?"

Naruto slowed down his eating once those words were said. He looked out of the corner of his left eye and saw two middle-aged men talking. They both were dressed in a normal set of clothes. Naruto couldn't tell which district they belonged to if they even lived in the Capital.

The other man drank his sake and then placed his cup. "Make diamonds? You must be kidding!?"

"Nope. I heard something like that he is a foreign ninja that can make diamonds from his chakra. Pretty neat right? Imagine if we can make a business deal with him. We can make millions, if not billions!" the first man said.

The second man sighed heavily. "Where is he from?" he asked.

"I think the Land of Earth. It must mean he's from Iwagakure," the first man said.

The second man grunted. "Konoha and Iwa have a lot of tension between them. There's no way we can make a business deal with that. The best thing we could do is make sure that if this guy can actually make diamonds, that we make them listed as counterfeit. Then our own businesses won't suffer."

"I suppose. It reminds me of that rumour a few years back of another person, a woman I think, that can create crystals from her chakra. Though, they would never sell for a high price, it can still make some dough."

Naruto was listening carefully to every word. The prospects sounded dangerous. A man that can create diamonds and a woman that can create crystals just from their chakras sounded insane. ' _Must be some bloodline limit bullshit!_ ' Naruto thought.

Naruto ate some more of his noodles as the two men beside him changed topic.

"So, the Konoha Chūnin exams are in less than a month. Are you going to them?" the first man that was beside Naruto asked.

The second man nodded. "I am but I'm at the back seating unfortunately. Hopefully there will be other business men with the nobles and I can make some deals. Yourself?" he asked.

The first man nodded. "Of course. Those fights are always exciting. Though, the last one I went to was a few years back, and it was a disappointment. Did you see the line-up for this year!?"

"Tell me about it. Most of these Genin come from prestigious clans. And they're all so young. Meaning, they're all extremely talented, or the whole bunch are pieces of crap hahaha."

"What match are you excited for the most?" the man beside Naruto asked his friend.

The other smiled. "Uchiha Sasuke versus Sabaku no Gaara. An Uchiha prodigy versus Suna's trump card. That just gets my blood pumping. And what about you?"

"The first round. Uzumaki Naruto versus Rock Lee. Have you seen their statistics? Both of them are crazy! Don't get me wrong about round four. That sounds like it'll be a cracker. But I can't help but remember that name. Uzumaki Naruto, I'm sure I heard the family name before… I don't care honestly. I know the whole day is going to be great. I just want to know who to put my bet on to win the whole thing," the first man said.

Naruto grinned after he heard those words. It was making him even more pumped for the finals. He didn't know who the hell the man he was sitting beside was but he liked him a lot already.

The second man drank another sake cup. "Why not go to Fortune-teller Suki? She could give you a vision or something on who will win the thing?" he said.

The first man grunted. "Like I would go that ugly witch. She's nothing but a coot. I heard that she used to be called Fortune-teller Baba at her old town. I bet she thought _New place, new me…_ Or something like that."

The second man laughed from his friend's words. "Hahaha. You're on fire today friend. If you want to see her, she's near the Royal East Shipping Company trying to get the fortunes of the sailors and workers there."

The two men got off their stools. The first man stretched his arms up in the air. "I'm not going there. If you want a fortune, go yourself. And I'm not going to the Eastern District, I don't want to get stabbed to death. And I wouldn't be suprised if the woman was a con artist. Come on, let's get out of here."

Naruto watched the two men leave the restaurant after they left money on the counter. Naruto decided to finish off his meal. Wiping his mouth clean, Naruto was deeply satisfied.

The head chef came back to Naruto. He smiled deeply when he saw the empty bowl. "How did you like it?" he asked.

Naruto turned his eyes to the man. "I give it a nine out of ten," he said nonchalantly.

The head chef gasped. "Why? You must have a reason."

Naruto nodded. "The broth was just a bit too salty. It overpowered the pork and the naruto cakes," he told him.

The chef turned around and took a spoon from the open kitchen. He took a scoop of the broth in the pot. His eyes widened. "It is just a bit too salty. Something hard to detect and taste. Young man, how could you tell?" he asked.

Naruto grinned. "Well, you could call me a ramen enthusiast. Ossan, let me tell you straight, there's a place you should try out that will blow your mind."

* * *

 **Eastern District, Royal East Shipping Company**

"Where is Fortune-teller Suki? Or Fortune-teller Baba? It doesn't matter what her name is. If she can find that damn Ero-sennin, everything will be A-Okay!" Naruto said as he walked close to the water.

After telling the head ramen chef, Odin Ki, at the Takara Ramen restaurant to visit Teuchi of Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha. Naruto left after paying so he could find and visit the obscure fortune-teller. Naruto's plan was to see if this woman could help him figure out where this mysterious 'Forgotten village of Fire and Earth' was. Naruto had no clue. He wouldn't even know where to look for it in the first place.

Naruto could see the difference between the Southern and Eastern Districts easily. It was identical to when he moved from his one-bedroom apartment to the Uzumaki Residence in the Western Sector of Konoha.

The streets were dirtier. The buildings weren't kept up to maintenance. The smell of urine, faeces and fish blood was present all around for him to smell. Naruto has smelled worse in his past. The memoires of Gatō's base of operations' sewage pipe made Naruto shiver and flinch on the spot. Nothing would ever compare to the decomposing smell of that day.

Naruto also made sure to look at the people he passed when he was walking towards the Royal East Shipping Company. The majority of the men were working in vests and ragged shorts. Their leather sandals were in terrible condition. Blisters were sure to come at the end of the day for most of them.

Naruto saw that the women wore dresses that went down to their knees. Their sleeves ended just at their elbows. It was summer, and it was blistering hot. Naruto wasn't surprised that most people showed their skin. He was the same as his blue shinobi shirt had its sleeves rolled up.

The children were running around with barely a thing on them. Most of the boys were shirtless as they sprayed river water onto each other in their water fights. They were having a lot of fun.

The only sad thing that Naruto found as he observed the Eastern District was that there were a lot more beggars laying around on the corners and in the alleyways. Some even walked through the streets, begging as they went along.

Naruto felt bad for the state they were in. When he was a child, sometimes he was in a pinch when he spent a bit too much pocket money that he got from the Hokage, Hiruzen.

However, there were a few reasons on why he didn't give any of them money. The advantage of having an older brother who excels in medical anatomy and medical practice was that Naruto learnt and understood the side effects of recreational drugs.

A number of beggars he saw had muscle twitches and tics. Their pupils were also dilated so much that Naruto couldn't even see their irises. He saw that their skin was also a deathly pale. The men and women's hair were also dry, there was a clear lack of colour.

They needed help, not his money. For now, Naruto ignored it. He couldn't do anything for the people.

As soon as Naruto got to the main port, a large red brick tower showed itself. It was an amazingly large complex of buildings that ran through the whole main port. They handled all the large cargo that needed to go to the sea.

Naruto learnt a bit of geography on the Capital as he walked and talked with the people. The Great Hawk River flows all through the Land of Fire and joins up with the sea. It is one of the six Great Rivers found in the Mainland. The other five are found in the other Elemental Nations and the last in the Land of Honey.

The largest river was found in the Land of Lightning, feeding the vast jungle land that covers the great country. The smallest river was found in the Land of Wind. The desert climate that the country is known for makes the river more drained. It was still a majestic river, yet it was the runt compared to the others.

The Royal East Shipping Company is the best place if you need a lot of cargo to go to another location. The company is also known to deal with caravans, but it mainly focuses on sea trade routes with its cargo ships.

Sea trade routes have become a lot safer since the emergence of hidden villages and the uprising of the Four Kings. Caravans were more likely to get raided with those dangers. The only danger on the sea now were the pirates and sea monsters, but the latter usually kept to themselves.

 **Ding-Ding! Ding-Ding! Ding-Ding!**

Naruto looked around for the ringing noise. If he had any luck, which was a metric ton of it, it would be the fortune-teller he has been searching for.

"Fortune, fortune! Get your fortune read for only a thousand ryō," an elderly voice said.

Naruto combed through the small crowd and saw a lonely woman sitting on a wooden portable stool. There was a large bag beside her filled with junk.

Naruto had to take a step back after he saw a good look of her face. The old woman was damn right ugly. He saw the fat nose with a large wart on the right side. Wrinkles so long and wide you could hide your family in them. Naruto tried to find her eyes, but her face was so squished together that it was nay impossible.

Naruto was just glad that she wore a hat. A black pointy hat to add. It didn't help with the bad name she held of being a witch. Underneath the hat, Naruto saw strands of ashen grey hair. Another sign that the lady in front of him was a relic.

Naruto had to muster up the courage. He wasn't sure what the hell he was getting himself into. "Oi, are you Fortune-teller Baba?" Naruto asked.

The old woman growled underneath her hat. "It's Fortune-teller Suki now brat. Get it right or get outta here!"

Naruto sighed. "Sorry. I want a fortune please," he asked.

Fortune-teller Suki puts out her open hand. "Gimme the money and I'll do the magic," she said.

Naruto grunted and dished out a thousand ryō and placed it on the woman's hand. The instant the money landed on her palm, her hand retracted with speed that impressed Naruto.

Fortune-teller Suki looked at the cash and then smiled. "Rihehe. Everything is set," she said.

' _That's the strangest laugh I've ever heard,'_ Naruto though as he crouched down to her level. The woman was extremely short, even shorter than he was.

Fortune-teller Suki pulled out a crystal ball that rested on a pillow. "Tell me your name boy."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"And what is it you seek my boy Naruto. A lover? A treasure? I can help you find it. Tell me now."

Naruto scratched his cheek. "I am looking for Jiraiya, a member of the Legendary Sannin. He should be at a place called the 'Forgotten village of Fire and Earth'."

Fortune-teller Suki waved her hands around the crystal ball and mumbled non-sensical words. Naruto was getting worried for his own safety. The crystal ball on the pillow started to glow green. A blue swirl appeared in the ball and rotated slowly.

Naruto was getting scared. ' _This is some weird stuff here!'_

"Jiraiya… Forgotten Village. Tell me spirits… tell me where they are," Fortune-teller Suki said. She suddenly flinched. Her whole body spasmed.

"What!? What is it!?" Naruto asked.

"Quiet boy! The spirits are communicating with me!" she said with a hiss.

Naruto did what she said, he shut his mouth and stopped talking.

Fortune-teller Suki began to move in a wavy motion. "ARGH!" she suddenly screamed out. The people around looked at her with confused eyes. Ignoring her promptly. After all, she was rumoured to be the nutjob of the Capital.

Fortune-teller Suki calmed down and slumped her shoulders. "Ashes… All I saw were ashes. A great doom came and turned everything to ash. Shells of ashes…"

Naruto listened to the words. The message greatly confused him. He then tilted his head. "And? How is that supposed to help?" he asked.

Fortune-teller Suki sighed. "My visions are a magical gift. I can only give you of what I saw."

Naruto growled. "But all you saw was… _'Ashes'._ How is that supposed to help me find my Sensei!?" Naruto berated her.

The Fortune-teller got up from her spot and started to walk away. "My message from the heavens will help you in one way or another you shitty child. Now, leave me alone," she said.

Naruto watched the woman vanish from his sight. There was no use going after her. "Damn woman stole my money," he said. Naruto was annoyed. Ashes was the only clue he got but it lead to absolutely nowhere.

Naruto looked up to the sky and saw that the sun was coming closer to evening. It was summer time so there was plenty left in the day. Naruto turned his head to the clocktower that was built into the Royal East Shipping Company. It read that it was quarter to six.

"Shit… It's getting late. What should I do next?" Naruto wondered.

Already checking out the Southern and Eastern Districts of the Capital, Naruto had only had a few options left to choose from.

Cracking his neck, Naruto thought he would go towards the source of power in this city. "Let's go the Western District."

* * *

 **Western District, Outside the Core Shell**

"What do you mean you won't let me in?"

"Brats aren't allowed in the Royal palace. If you don't have a pass slip or an invitation from the Daimyō himself, you're not getting past us and up these steps!"

Outside the Core Shell, Naruto was arguing with a Royal Samurai guard. Naruto, being the smart ninja that he was, thought that the Daimyō or one of his advisors would know where the forgotten village Jiraiya was hiding in.

"But I need help and-"

The Samurai cut Naruto off by unsheathing his katanna blade that was holstered on his hip. "Don't make us resort to violence. Now scamper!" the Samurai threatened.

Naruto scoffed and turned heel. "Fine I'll go! Bunch of bastards," Naruto said as he went on his way.

Naruto was getting worried. The time now was past seven o'clock. Most shops are already closed, waiting for the next day. The only places that are still open would be the bars and pubs.

Naruto has learnt that there are key differences between these establishments. A bar would generally house people in their twenties or thirties and only serve alcohol and appetizers. Pubs on the other hand serve full-on meals and alcohol for any age past legal. Pubs also are more relaxed, a place to hang out and chill. Compared to that, bars there is more dancing with strange music.

Both places are great for information gathering, as they both house a wide spectrum of people from all different backgrounds, all with their own gossip to share.

The only problem was that Naruto was underage and is not permitted in these places. If he had someone old enough, he would be allowed in but still not be able to consume alcohol. Not that he cared, sake tasted like crap to him. He has been told that he has to mature to appreciate the taste, but Naruto believed that his older brother was only pulling his tail on that one.

"I'll suppose I'll transform into someone else," Naruto said quietly.

Naruto stuffed his hands down his pockets as he went on his way through the streets. The Western District was a sight to behold, especially since Naruto just came from the poorer Eastern District. All the buildings were high, at least four stories high. The walls were kept clean and all of them had fresh licks of paint. Naruto saw his reflection in the windows, which obviously meant that they're cleaned on the regular.

 **CRASH!**

Naruto fell back and landed on his bum. He wasn't watching where he was going. "Ouch… Must have hit a pole," Naruto muttered under his breath with some bite. This was only adding to his action-packed of a terrible day.

"Watch where you're going brat! Yuuto-san, what should we do with him?"

Naruto looked up while rubbing his forehead. A tower of a man was standing over him. He could have been seven feet tall. A large Warhammer was resting on his back, the actual hammerhead was the size of a young child. It radiated a silver glow.

"I don't know. You can leave him or kill him. I honestly don't care," a man with light blonde hair said.

Naruto saw that he had a sword holstered on his hip. The man wore a mix of armour and regal clothing. It was a strange mix to Naruto, but it worked somehow. His most striking piece of clothing would be the waist cape. Black on the border and a moss green as the base.

The tall man narrowed his eyes onto Naruto, making the latter nervous. Naruto couldn't tell how old the man was. His large beard made him look like he was in his thirties, maybe even forties. However, the skin on the man was wrinkle clear and radiated healthiness.

Naruto didn't like the look of the tall man in front of him. He had enough muscles for more than one man, maybe more than enough for a bull.

Naruto turned his eyes to the man with light blonde hair in the nice clothing. His face was sharp featured. A strong jawline was present. Naruto saw the man was clean-shaven. It made it much easier to determine the age. He could guess the man was easily in his twenties.

Sensing the potential danger, Naruto jumped from his spot and somersaulted backwards. Landing on his feet and skidding a short length after, Naruto was now at a safe distance away from the two men.

The man with the sword focused on Naruto before a smile grew on his face. "Oh my! Would you look at that. We have an acrobat in the house. What are you kid, a ninja or something?" he asked.

Naruto resisted the urge to answer. He also resisted pulling out his only kunai, he didn't want them to know he was a ninja.

The tall man took out his Warhammer, letting the hammerhead crash into the street, the brickwork cracked open. Naruto became more defensive after the man showed his menacing actions.

"I would suggest answering the question brat. I hate it when people don't talk," he said with a threatening voice.

Naruto sighed. He put his hand into his pocket to take out his forehead protector. It seemed that he forgot to put it back on since leaving the ramen restaurant. Naruto was hoping that showing the proof of being a Konoha ninja will scare them away.

Naruto heard footsteps coming behind him. His hand gripped onto his forehead protector but he didn't take it out. "What the hell are you two doing?" the voice asked harshly. Naruto knew it was a woman's voice. And she sounded damn right pissed.

The two men flinched slightly before the tall muscular man had put back his weapon. The man with the light blonde hair moved his way to the source of the new voice.

"This kid got in Toroi-san's way. That's why we're so late," the man said.

Naruto still didn't move. His eyes were glued on the man in front of him named Toroi, a potential foe that uses a Warhammer.

The woman scoffed. "You stopped because a child got in your way. That's pathetic," she said with a hiss. It seemed that the excuse only made the woman even angrier.

Naruto took out his forehead protector and tied it around his head.

"Yuuto-san. You were right. The kid is a Konoha ninja," Toroi said as he walked past Naruto.

"A ninja?" the woman said with some surprise. "Hey kid, can you turn around for me please?" she asked. Naruto was shocked on the dramatic change of her voice. Her voice now was sweet, gentle and welcoming. A total opposite from before.

Naruto did what she asked and turned around. Naruto looked from the top of her head to the bottom of her toes. She was at least a head and a bit taller than him. Naruto's blue eyes stared into the woman's dark blue eyes.

The woman smiled at Naruto. "Has the cat caught your tongue?" she asked with a sarcastic tone. She flicked her ponytail back; her white hair reflected the evening sunshine. Her cloak blew with the gentle breeze.

Naruto groaned quietly. "No," he replied promptly.

The woman giggled from Naruto's words, making the two men around her confused.

"Boss," Toroi said, "We should just leave the kid and get back to the base."

Yuuto yawned in agreement. "Toroi-san is right for once. You had a busy day today. We shouldn't waste time on a random ninja."

The woman grunted loudly. Naruto didn't expect such a noise to come from a beautiful woman. She emitted a deadly aura that made the two men flinch. "Can't you two see I'm enjoying myself," she said.

The woman started to walk towards Naruto until she stood in front of him. Naruto was confused by her actions.

She crossed her arms under her chest and bent slightly forward, looking at Naruto with a cheeky smile. "You're cute. You remind me of someone I know," she said.

Naruto blushed from the compliment. It was nice to know that the ladies appreciated him. This woman was much nicer in every imaginable way compared to the woman that he stole money from earlier or fortune-teller Suki. "Thanks Nee-chan. That's nice of you to say," he replied.

The woman giggled more and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You know what, I like you already. What's your name?" she asked. Curiosity was dripping off her every word.

Naruto looked up to her eyes. "Uzumaki Naruto. What's yours Nee-chan?" he asked.

The woman's eyes widened after Naruto said his name. She started to mumble under her breath. "What's he doing here?" Naruto heard.

"Are you alright Nee-chan?" Naruto asked. There was worry in his voice.

The woman snapped back into her usual self. Turning her head back to Naruto, she smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. You can call me Niko. Or you can keep calling me Nee-chan if you want, I don't really care," Niko said with a smile.

Naruto grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"Eh… Boss, what are we supposed to do?" Toroi asked.

Yuuto cracked his back and looked at the nearby clocktower. "It's getting late," he said.

Niko sighed. "You two can have the rest of the day off. I don't need you now." Her words were blunt.

The two men nodded and went on their way. Going off in separate directions once they arrived at a crossroads.

Once Niko saw that they were gone, she turned her head back to Naruto with a grin on her face. A wonderful sight to behold. "Why are you going around the big city by yourself, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and giggled. "I'm looking for my Sensei," he told her.

Niko tilted her head. "Your Sensei? Is there anyway I can help?"

Naruto tapped on his chin. "I don't know. Ero-sennin basically has been playing a big trick on me."

Niko hummed. She then nodded her head, making her pony-tail bob around. "Why don't we go get something to eat and talk about it? I'm starving," she said.

Naruto was hesitant. He had only just met the woman. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Niko nodded her head again. "Yeah come on! It'll be fun," she said, trying to encourage him.

Naruto twitched his fingers before releasing his built-up tension. "Fine. You lead the way," Naruto said. "I have no idea where anything is."

"I could tell. The streets can be dangerous at night. Even in the Western District. Keep close to me and I'll keep you safe," Niko said.

Naruto scoffed slightly. "I'm a ninja of Konoha. I can take care of myself."

Niko laughed hard. "Of course, you can. Now, let's go to a place that can do one of the best steaks you ever had," she said excitedly.

Naruto smiled and walked beside her. "Does this place also do ramen?" he asked.

Niko went to her thoughts. "I don't have a clue. And I own the place haha! If not, I might order you some or something else," she said.

Naruto grinned with excitement. "You sure are nice for a girl," Naruto said.

Niko laughed again. "You don't know what I might do with you at the end of the day. For all you know, I could kill you when you're stuffing your mouth with food."

Naruto whistled. "That's mean Niko-nee. You wouldn't do that to me, right?"

Niko giggled. "No. Of course not. I'm not that _cruel_ … Oh look, we're here," she said as she rested her hands on her hips. She then rested her weight on her right hip.

Naruto looked at the bustling restaurant. It was packed with the rich and probably famous. Naruto looked at the menu that was displayed on the outside of the front door.

Naruto gasped after just reading the appetizers. "What!? Two and a half thousand ryō just for some chowder!" he said with shock.

Niko stared at Naruto with a puzzling gaze. "What's wrong with that? It's made up of clams and other fresh ingredients," she said.

Naruto shook his head and crossed his arms. "Chowder is not even that nice. I could get like... ten bowls of ramen for that price," Naruto retorted.

Niko ruffled Naruto's hair again. "Can you not afford it?" she asked with squinted eyes and a sly grin.

Naruto pouted his lips. "I can afford it… Just not anything after it."

Niko hummed. "Don't worry about it. I got you covered."

' _What is with this woman? Why is she being so nice to me?'_ Naruto wondered.

The two entered the restaurant. Niko removed her cloak and held it in her hands. Naruto saw that she was wearing a black halter top and tight black trousers. They seemed to be made from the same material as Naruto's shinobi trousers, yet these were tailored to her size perfectly. If it was the same material, then there's no problem with flexibility as the material is one of the most stretchable in the world.

As the two waited for the manager to come and guide them to their table, Naruto heard the annoyed tap coming from the woman beside him. He looked at her feet to see her wearing high heeled sandals. They didn't give here much height. The heel could only have been an inch or two. Though the sound of the constant tapping was getting on Naruto's nerves.

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, an astute man appeared with some swagger. He looked at Niko and smiled. Naruto saw it was forced, a second nature reaction. It made sense to Naruto, Niko did say she owned the place, so that means she's the boss.

"Heart-"

Niko growled loudly. Naruto saw her eyes change from care-free to murderous in a mere instant.

"Don't say that when I have a guest with me," Niko said as she shuffled slightly to reveal Naruto.

The manager turned his eye to Naruto. He looked unimpressed. "My fair lady… This young boy is your guest?" he asked.

Niko growled again and tilted her head. "Yeah so what? He's my lovely guest. Now, get me a table on the roof. And I want two chowders quick."

The man quickly moved and took two menus with him. "Anything else my lady?"

"Yeah, a bottle of sake for two," Niko said as she walked forward.

Naruto followed her every footstep. "I don't drink sake Niko-nee."

Niko laughed as soon as she heard what he said. "Who said I was going to share it with you! Come on Naruto. Up to the roof gardens," she said with excitement.

Naruto and Niko went and stood inside a small room. Metal guard rails came and enclosed the space. It suddenly started to go up.

"What is this?" Naruto asked. This was all a new experience for him.

Niko rested on the wall. "This is an elevator. We just call it the lift. It can move people from one floor to another without using the stairs."

Naruto eyes sparkled. "That's so cool. But why don't people just go up the stairs?" he asked.

Niko shrugged her shoulders. "Some people are just lazy. And some are extremely fat."

Naruto laughed from the deadpanned response.

The elevator stopped. Naruto and Niko walked out and were greeted with cherry blossoms and a whole family of flowers.

"Woah… So pretty," Naruto said. He looked closely and saw all the vibrant colours blending with the evening sun. It was worthy enough to be painted on a canvas. "This is what he was talking about… The rooftop gardens."

Niko walked ahead with confidence. Naruto followed her lead. As they walked, there were rich men and women dining in the garden. It seemed that Naruto was in a popular restaurant.

Niko lead him to a secluded spot by the corner. A single table under a wooden gazebo. There were potted plants and wall flowers growing all around. They were alone, just him and her.

Naruto saw Niko take a seat, she motioned her fingers to show that he should sit as well. Naruto didn't want to make the woman mad. Not just because he liked her already. But it was because he sensed unimaginable strength within her.

Naruto wouldn't be able to determine how strong she is, he never saw her fight, however the sensation of her aura made his skin crawl. The power was something else. There have been only a handful of experiences that he could compare it to.

The first to came into his mind was his brother's presence. Then the Hokage's, the Kyūbi's and Spades'. He was sure there must be a reason to her power, but he wasn't going to pry information off her. Naruto wanted to stay on her good side.

As Naruto made himself comfortable after he sat down, two bowls came. They were laid in front of him. Naruto looked up to see the rude manager from before.

"Please enjoy the meal, my lady and… the gentleman," the astute manager said before hurrying off.

Niko sighed as she watched the manager vanish from her sight. "Please excuse my manager. He's an asshole but the man knows his stuff when working in the restaurant. I would fire his ass if I can find someone that can work as well as he can but not be a total dick."

Naruto laughed weakly. "It's fine. I've been through worse," he said. Naruto moved his face to the chowder and gave it a good sniff. "That… actually smells nice."

Niko laughed and took up her spoon. "It is. Eat some," she said as she didn't stop herself getting a bite. She hummed in satisfaction after the flavour blew up in her mouth.

Naruto saw her reaction and got interested. He took his spoon and dipped it in the soup. Taking a scoop, he placed the spoon in his mouth and ate the chowder. The flavour was unbelievable. Amazing in fact. The creaminess was insane, and Naruto loved it.

"If people didn't know any better, they would think we were going on a date," Niko said as she watched Naruto.

Naruto choked on his food and started to beat his chest, hoping it would help him. Eventually, he was able to get the food down. His eyes glared at Niko was laughing hysterically at him. "Niko-nee, that wasn't funny. You must be like triple my age!"

Niko's face turned dark. Her white bangs covered her eyes. Naruto's heartbeat raised from the scary image in front of him. "Oi, I'm only twenty-four. Twenty-five in November. I'm still a part of the youth."

After some time, Niko calmed down and looked at Naruto's face before laughing to herself. "But from that blush on your face, you must think I'm beautiful. Now that we're sitting down, I want to ask you a few questions."

Naruto took a bite of his meal. After swallowing, he focused his eyes on the mysterious and helpful woman in front of him. "Fire away."

Niko smiled. "Good. You said you were looking for your Sensei. Has he disappeared?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. Ero-sennin wanted to put me through some 'trials' to see if I'm fit to be a Chūnin. I bet he just doesn't want to teach me," Naruto ranted.

Niko focused on the words. "Chūnin? Those exams are coming close, are you prepared at all for them?" she asked further.

Naruto leaned back and scratched his cheek. "I don't know. Everyone is a tough opponent. I just wish I had Kakashi-sensei to teach me. Not Ero-sennin."

Niko laughed lightly. "You mean the famous Hatake Kakashi?" she asked. Naruto nodded. "Wow, to have Kakashi of the Sharingan as your Sensei. You're a lucky kid Naruto. And I keep hearing you say Ero-sennin… But who is that if you don't mind me asking?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "I forgot. You wouldn't know. Sorry about that. Yeah, Ero-sennin is my nickname for Jiraiya, a member of the Sannin. I don't know if you know but he's a super pervert. Admitted that to me with a straight face. He writes these books which is filled with smut. He rather be looking at women's boobs than teach me," Naruto said.

Niko tapped on the table with her index finger. "You could say that with every man. Thinking about sex is human nature after all. They try to cut that out when you are training to be a ninja, right?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Niko. "How'd you know about that?"

Niko whistled before answering. "I know a lot of things. There are certain 'practices' to other professions that are similar to the teachings on how to be a shinobi," she said.

"Are you a ninja?" Naruto asked. The question came straight of his mouth, there was no thought process. He was now scared to death that Niko would get angry at him.

Niko pushed her lips together and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about that. But I will tell you that my services are not part of a hidden village."

Naruto sighed a breath of relief. "Really? Well… Ero-sennin left me and took everything I owned apart from the clothes I'm in and one kunai. I didn't know what to do so I went to the Capital through that forest, it was quite the trip."

Niko nodded her head in agreement. "Workers can't cut down the wood since the wolves and leopards will kill them. I'm impressed that you got through without a single scratch."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. He was getting compliments left, right and centre from Niko. And he was absolutely loving it.

"Thanks. I got into the city and borrowed some money off some woman. Then I got a nice lunch. Then I went to this crazy old woman who didn't help at all."

Niko focused her eyes on Naruto. "Crazy old woman? You mean that fortune-teller!? Why'd you go to her?" she asked. Niko was laughing between her words.

Naruto sighed. "I heard these men talk about betting when I had my lunch. They mentioned her and her fortunes. I just thought she could give me some hint or idea where Ero-sennin was. But nope! All she said was things about ashes and shells of ashes."

"Ashes huh?" Niko said. "That's a strange one."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I know right. He said he'll be waiting for me in the 'Forgotten Village of Fire and Earth' but I never heard of a place like that," Naruto said. His eyes were staring at the famous Core where the Daimyō lives.

Niko thought about what Naruto said. "Oh?"

Naruto turned his head to see her. "Oh what?" he asked.

Niko took out a scroll out of one of her pouches and rolled it out onto the table. It revealed the map of the Mainland. A basic world map with the country borders and their capitals. Nothing more.

Niko pointed her finger at a mountain range that existed between the territories of the Land of Earth and Fire. Between these two large countries was the Land of Tall Grass, where the village Kusagakure is located in. The mountain range spans through these countries.

"There used to be a town here. A pretty big one as well. It got destroyed during the Warring States Period," Niko said.

Naruto became interested. "What happened to it? Did a clan destroy it?" he asked.

Niko shook her head. "No. A volcano did."

"A volcano?"

Niko nodded. "It was thought to be dormant. But after a curse was laid upon the village from a woman who was burned at the stake for being thought of being a witch or necromancer or something bad. She foresaw a great doom. Four hours after her death, the volcano erupted, and its lava covered the forest, fields and the town area. It was so rapid that most died from the ashes rather than the lava itself. It is rumoured that some of the town's people are preserved today by the thick coating of ashes. Maybe that is what she meant by shells of ashes," Niko said.

Naruto's face turned sad. "That's awful."

Niko had a grim smile. "Most of the town in still buried in ash. They say about four or six metres of it. This happened over a century ago, but I bet most things are still in good condition if you were to dig it up," she said.

"Why haven't they done anything to it?" Naruto asked.

Niko rolled up the map after she marked a dot on the mountain ranges. "There are a few reasons. It was just a big town. There wasn't anything valuable in it. It's in the Land of Fire, but the Daimyō doesn't want to excavate it and do repairs, that costs money. Finally, unless you know about the history of the Warring States period, there's no way you would know about that town. It's not marked on maps anymore."

Naruto was stunned. He smiled happily. "You're amazing Nee-chan!" he said.

Niko smiled and gave Naruto the map scroll. "I knew that already. Keep that and travel North West when you leave Warden's North Gate. If you go to the mountains at the border, you should be able to find Jiraiya," she said.

The two finished their meals. A waiter came and took the bowls away. It was just Naruto and Niko again.

"How long should it take me to get there?" Naruto asked.

Niko looked up to the moon. "I don't know how fast you are. But a run of the mill ninja could get there in four days. Five days maximum, three days minimum."

Naruto exhaled heavily. "That is cutting it close. I have to meet him in less than four days from now, or I won't get some things that will help me for the final fights."

Niko grunted. "I don't like the sound of that. But… I can see some of the benefits. You were using stealth skills to get what you needed, and you did information gathering. That's important for any ninja, not just cool and powerful jutsu. Sometimes, showing off can bite you in the ass. Makes the people around you want to use you in bad ways," she said. Her last few words were filled with deep sadness.

Naruto saw the change in her eyes. Niko must have had a bad memory or even memories.

"I suppose…" Naruto wanted to change the subject. The conversation was taking a nosedive. "I better leave. Here, take this," he said.

Niko watched as Naruto took out two and a half thousand ryō from his pocket and placing it on the table. "Don't worry, I have you covered," she said.

Naruto shook his head. "I learnt to always pay my debts. I rather not feel guilty after you paid for my meal ttebayo."

Niko smiled and took the money. "Where'd you learn that? Must have been from a wise old man maybe?"

Naruto scoffed. "He's not old at all, but he is wise. Anyway, I think I'll go and leave for that place. I need to get there before the deadline."

The manager came back quickly and whispered into Niko's ears. Naruto was trying his best to listen. He didn't need to soon after.

Niko laughed. "She's here! The Legendary Sucker? Lucky for her that she doesn't owe me money, but it's nice to know the woman has a fine taste in dining," she said.

The manager left after giving the message and left the two alone once again.

Niko chuckled as she put away her money. "Naruto," she called out. Naruto stopped and looked back to the woman who took away his evening. "Good luck. I take it orange is your favourite colour, yeah?" she asked.

Naruto smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Sure is."

Niko smiled as well. "Hopefully we will meet sometime soon. You're an interesting boy. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Yeah, let's meet again Niko-neechan. I'll treat you to ramen. I gotta go!" Naruto said before he jumped off the building and ran towards the Northern District's gate, the Warden's North gate.

Niko watched the boy vanish. She then laughed to herself. "Hm. I definitely know who I'm going to bet on now. Now I really want to see him."

* * *

 **Close Borders of the Lands of Earth and Fire, Mount Yari of the Hida Mountain Range**

Deep within the continent of the Mainland, between the borders of the Lands of Earth and Fire laid a once prosperous town. Now only a shell of its former self, after the brimstone and ashes from the destruction of mother nature, the town is now in ruins. The people have moved on and left forever, sealing its fate of being abandoned.

Naruto was walking slowly through some of the cobbled streets that were partially affected by the volcanic attack. Naruto was having a hard time finding Jiraiya. It was possible that he was in the wrong place.

Naruto walked through the street and an open space greeted him. There was a small mound with a shrine and a red Torii. A small line of white smoke was in the air.

Naruto watched as the smoke dispersed itself into the air. Following his intuition, he walked towards the source of the smoke, hoping that it will lead to good fortune.

Naruto's eyes widened as a long white hair showed itself in a scruffy ponytail. "I finally found you Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya puffed out more smoke. He didn't bother turning around. "Well done Naruto."

Naruto's jaw nearly hit the floor. He was expecting something grander than just a standard well done. His blood boiled. "How could you put me through that! Ero-sennin, I'm going to kill you!" Naruto said. He walked closer to the legendary pervert while rolling his sleeves. He was serious, he didn't care if he would die, he needed to pound some sense into him.

Jiraiya turned around and puts up his hand. Naruto stopped in his path.

"What?" Naruto asked heatedly.

Jiraiya took a long cylindrical shaped object that was wrapped in paper. Next, he brought a long wooden box and placed the two objects in front of Naruto. "I come bearing gifts," he said with a wry smile.

Naruto's anger vanished into thin air and excitement took over. "So, these are the things that will help me in the Chūnin exams?" he said.

Jiraiya nodded. "They could. We just to see how well you learn in the next few days. I'm going to train you to the ground," he said with some enthusiasm.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Like you should have been doing from the start?"

Jiraiya sighed. "After I hear about your story on how you got here, you will realise what you did and how a Chūnin should act when in a difficult environment. You coming here at all before the deadline shows that you can perform problematic missions without even knowing my true location. That is a skill that all good ninja should have," Jiraiya lamented.

Naruto scoffed. "I bet you just wanted to peek on women instead of training me," he said.

Jiraiya laughed lightly. "Well that's true no matter what you say."

Naruto looked at the objects with interest. "Which one should I open first?" he asked.

Jiraiya handed him the wrapped up cylindrical object. The length of it was much taller than Naruto. He unwrapped it and saw a staff that was an inch in diameter. Made from a solid metal, a metal that was different from regular steel. It was beautifully crafted.

"What's this? A staff," Naruto said as he inspected the amazing craftsman ship. He let one end rest on the ground and straightened it up. It stood at an adults height. "Woah… It's big."

Jiraiya smiled. "It's one metre, and eighty-two centimetres in length. One-inch in diameter. Made from chakra absorbing steel. Formed for perfect balance, its weight is distributed to near perfection. After being heated, it was quenched in oil and then work-hardened. It is a tough and strong weapon. One worthy for any master martial artist or shinobi," Jiraiya said.

Naruto stared at the weapon with sparkly eyes. "And this is for me?" he asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. But it will be useless if we don't do some basic training with it. Sensei is a master at bōjutsu, hopefully after the Chūnin exams, he will give you private lessons. He gave me a few scrolls that he wrote himself to help you," he said. "With the staff being made from chakra absorbing steel, you can perform your jutsu in new ways. Maybe even make new jutsu to fit your weapon and style of fighting."

Naruto played with his new staff. Moving it in circles. It was difficult to handle. He never practiced with such a long weapon before. The only experience he has in weapons is his kunai and a wooden short sword he uses when practising with Kotero.

Jiraiya coughed into his hand. "Before you go off with your new toy. There's also this gift from your brother," Jiraiya said. He fingers tapped the lid of a black wooden box.

Naruto's eyes turned to the box immediately. Laying his new staff to the floor beside the shrine, Naruto knelt in front of the box. Untying the red knot that kept it sealed and then grabbing the edges with the tip of his fingers, Naruto lifted the lid of the box up.

"What is this…"

Jiraiya peeked his head over to see what was inside. He watched Naruto pick up a blade. "That's a Wakizashi blade. It's different from your standard katana. You can see from the length of the blade. I bet it's around fourteen inches," he told Naruto.

Naruto gripped the short blade and swung it around. It moved through the air so quickly, no resistance whatsoever. The hilt of the blade was comfortable, almost natural to Naruto's hand. A blade that could have been tailor-made for him.

The blade had a dark steel base with a lighter and more silver coloured cutting edge. The blade was deadly. Every swing Naruto made with it, sharp whispers were made in the air from the short sword.

Naruto took the sheath out of the box and sheathed his new weapon away. A loud noise was made when the short sword was inserted.

"Is there a name?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya took out a slip of paper that was in the box and unfolded it. "This was written by your brother. Hm… He said that it is an Uzumaki blade forged during the time of his own swords. The blade's name is Silver. That's it, huh? How unimaginative. What's Kotero's swords named? Ruby and Sapphire. Your little toothpick is named Silver. Next thing I know, there'll be one called Gold or Emerald," Jiraiya ranted.

Naruto scoffed. "Don't make fun of my new sword Ero-sennin. Don't worry, I'm still grateful for that staff you got me."

Jiraiya stood up and dusted his hands. "Well, I did write it in that letter. I kept my promise. Now that you have the tools to help you with your exams, we better go off a bit and start training. My time away from you allowed me to write three chapters for my new book and think of a harsh training routine for you."

Naruto grinned from the news. "Finally, I've been waiting for ages for proper training!" he said.

Jiraiya walked ahead and sighed. "When will you realise that your 'Trial' was also training?" he said.

Naruto started to follow him after gathering his stuff. "As soon as you tell me where my stuff is and where my sweet Gama-chan is!"

* * *

 **Konoha, One Day before the Chūnin exam finals**

Konoha was in a state it hasn't been in for quite some time. For the last two days, the Daimyō, the minor lords and ladies with their guards and councillors were coming in. The village was packed to capacity when the excited business owners and merchants came in. The Konoha Chūnin exams has now become a festival, the main event of course being the fights.

Every hotel room was booked, and the bars were filled with drunk, enthusiastic men and women. To make as much money as possible, the Konoha civilian council decided to make small events and games. Drawing in the local villagers and the foreign visitors to splash their cash. A plan that was going swimmingly well.

Just outside the Main Gate to the Village, Naruto and Jiraiya walked into the bustling Konoha, amazed that it was so lively.

"This is like the Capital," Naruto droned out. "Why are they so happy?"

Jiraiya laughed and slapped Naruto's back. "Liven up Naruto. This only comes once every year or two. And everyone's having fun," he said with a smile. That smile turned into a lecherous grin when a group of gorgeous women passed by, not leaving much to the imagination with their clothing.

The day was extremely sunny. The heat was roasting, Naruto couldn't help but think he was in an outdoor oven.

Seeing that Jiraiya was on the verge of doing something stupid by the looks of his red cheeks, Naruto pinched the man's leg. Jiraiya jolted on the spot from the quick and intense pain.

"God damn! That hurt! You little brat, you couldn't let me enjoy myself," Jiraiya said with a large pout.

Naruto scoffed and walked ahead. "You said that after peeping in the Women's hot springs for over half an hour. Come on, I want to see Jiji now," he said.

Jiraiya sighed. "We still have all day. Why are you so mad right now?" he asked.

As the two walked through, Naruto turned his head to Jiraiya. "I'm mad because it's already three o'clock. We should have been here at morning at least. And, I haven't seen Nii-chan in ages. I miss him," he said.

Jiraiya hummed. "Fair enough. Let's go to Sensei then. Kotero is probably with him," he said.

The pair went through more of the sea of people. The Hokage tower was getting closer and closer but it still seemed so far away.

"Jiraiya-sama!"

Naruto and Jiraiya stopped in their steps and turned to the right. Two adults who were middle aged came to them. A man and a woman. They seemed to be busy but cut time out of their schedule just to talk to Jiraiya.

"Koike-san and Oda-san. What can I do for you?" Jiraiya asked as he crossed his arms.

Naruto focused on the two in front of him. There looked like ordinary people but with they wore nicer clothing. The woman, Yuriko Koike, wore a dressing robe that covered most of her body. Naruto was shocked she could survive and not get some form of heat stroke.

The man was also ordinary looking man. He wore a robe shirt and pants, but the materials were of high quality. The man was Kishihiro Oda.

Both of these people made up of four that are in control of the Civilian council of Konoha.

Oda bowed his head to Jiraiya. "It's good to meet you again Jiraiya-sama," he said in a monotoned voice.

Naruto felt uncomfortable as the man's gaze turned to him. The eyes and body language was unwelcoming. Naruto knew the reason already.

Jiraiya nodded promptly. "I know. I see the village is doing well with the exams here," he pointed out.

Koike nodded with a smile. Naruto liked her better than the man, Oda. She seemed friendlier. ' _These are the people Nii-chan had to talk to just when I left,'_ he thought.

"It is. We are still busy greeting guests and making sure the events go smoothly. We better go, but please enjoy your stay Jiraiya-sama, Uzumaki-san," she said as she walked.

Oda narrowed his eyes on Naruto before turning back to Jiraiya. "I wish a good fortune to you. Goodbye," he said as he followed the woman.

Jiraiya grunted. "That guy never gets any easier to deal with," he said.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "He seems like an ass."

Jiraiya laughed and ruffled Naruto's hair. "I know, and he is. But the man is a genius when it comes to finance. He is an important part of Konoha. You don't have to like him, and you can get someone to replace him when you become the Hokage, but for now, stay on his good side."

Naruto nodded in agreement. Making enemies was not a fun thing to do.

Naruto and Jiraiya eventually reached the outside of the Hokage Tower. There was a surprise when they saw ninja from Kirigakure stationed outside the door.

"What's going on?" Naruto wondered.

"Beats me," Jiraiya answered.

"Naruto-kun!" a voice called out.

Naruto turned to his left and saw a girl come his way. She seemed familiar, but there were key differences.

"Woah, Naruto, you never told me you were a stud. How could you keep this from me?" Jiraiya said with a sly tone. He was overjoyed that his student had some ladies waiting for him back here in Konoha.

Naruto growled and lightly punched Jiraiya's leg. He then refocused on the girl coming towards his way. Deep dark brown eyes, black hair done in a ponytail, wearing a mixture of blue and black. A Kiri forehead protector tied around her forehead.

Naruto's jaw dropped to the floor. "Haku!?" he said with shock. ' _She's even prettier now!'_

Haku came up with a smile. She was overjoyed to see Naruto again. "I'm glad to see you. Your brother said you should have been back last week," she said with some worry. "I hope nothing bad happened."

Naruto sighed and glared at Jiraiya. The pervert chuckled awkwardly and moved back.

Naruto shook his head and looked up to Haku, the girl was still taller than him. "No, nothing happened. Just Ero-sennin there just had to give me too much stuff to do. We ran late because of him as well. But hey, I got stronger, so I'll forgive him," he said.

Haku smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm glad that you're safe," she admitted.

Naruto grinned. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Naruto! Jiraiya!" a familiar voice shouted.

Naruto looked beyond Haku's shoulder. His eyes widened, and his smile grew tenfold. "Nii-chan!" he shouted back happily. His eyes moved to another person walking with his brother. "And Zabuza?"

Zabuza grunted under his bandaged mask. "It's the blond brat again. I hear you're the first one up. You better win or else I'll have to gut you up," he said. "My money is on you to win the whole thing."

Naruto flinched a bit from the threat. He didn't expect it so soon.

Kotero rubbed his face and sighed. "Zabuza. You can't threaten my little brother right in front of me," he said with shame. "But I'm glad you placed your money on him."

Zabuza shrugged his shoulders. "Who cares, the brat knows I'm not going to do anything to him," he said. "I've seen him fight. He sure as hell has gotten stronger. I can see it in his eyes. Good work kid."

Naruto smiled from the compliment, but then saw the Kubikiribōchō on Zabuza's back. The mighty blade still made him sweat from fear.

Kotero moved and stood in front of Jiraiya. "You two were supposed to be here a week ago. What happened?" he asked. Naruto knew that he was pissed.

Jiraiya's expression turned serious but there was a smile on his face. "Training. And don't worry, Naruto is much stronger now," he said with total confidence.

Kotero grunted before grinning like a madman. This surprised both Naruto and Jiraiya. "Alright! I want to see a damn good performance tomorrow. Naruto, did you get my gift?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "She fits with me well. We're already a strong team."

Zabuza and Haku were confused from the cryptic talk. "What is this gift?" Zabuza decided to asked.

Kotero smiled to the man. "You'll find out tomorrow for sure Zabuza. We're not the only ones with sharp attacks. Anyway, your tour of Konoha is over. Haku-chan, Zabuza, please wait until Mizukage-sama is finished with her meeting with Hokage-sama," Kotero said politely. "I will guide you back to your hotel then."

Haku smiled at Kotero. "Thank you, Kotero-san!" she said.

"Your welcome as always Haku-chan!" Kotero said with a sweet smile. His face soured, and it turned to Zabuza. Zabuza was still silent, making Kotero narrow his eyes on the man.

Zabuza sighed and looked away. "Thank you… Crimson," he said.

Kotero smiled. "That's some progress at least. Alright, now we just have to wait," he said while stretching his arms.

Jiraiya came over. "Kotero. How is the situation with Sensei and the others?" Jiraiya asked.

Kotero sighed and focused on Jiraiya. "Well, everyone in the Shinobi council is happy. The civilian council are working very hard in organising the whole event. They're actually doing a great job if I say so myself," he admitted.

Naruto popped his head over. "Nii-chan, what is this Civilian council?"

Kotero turned his head to Naruto. "Oh yeah, you never had to deal with them before. They were a group made by the Yondaime Hokage right after the Third Great Shinobi war. The Hokage had a lot of duties to take care of quickly so he formed a group to aid in the economics of Konoha. You know with taxes and other stuff.

"Good thing that he did, after the Kyūbi attack, Jiji had to deal with a lot of shit. The council helped out greatly and brought Konoha back from the ashes before the other countries and their villages could do anything," Kotero explained.

Naruto nodded as he listened. "Are they ninja?" he asked.

Kotero shook his head. "No, they aren't. Just the representatives of the general population in Konoha. They handle the craftsman and traders that come and go through our village. If it weren't for them, our trade agreements with other villages, towns and countries would be much weaker."

Naruto tapped on his lip. "So, they have no power?"

Kotero bobbed his head to the side. He then rested his hands on his hips. "That's not exactly true. They have a good influence on Konoha. But, the Hokage has the final say in things. They can't do anything to us. Don't worry, they're not all bad guys."

"If you say so," Naruto said with a grim tone.

Kotero chuckled from his brother's words. "I do say so. Jiraiya, Jiji did say he needed to ask you a favour. He said it was 'time', I assume you know what he means."

Jiraiya groaned before nodding. "Yep. Seems like Sensei is getting sick of things now," he said. His words were filled with animosity. "A lot of work will have to be done to find her."

Kotero hummed. "I have no idea what you're saying, but I'm sure I can help in any way I can if you want it."

Jiraiya smiled. "Thanks. I would appreciate that," he said.

Kotero laughed. "I'll do it for Jiji. Don't think you're getting away with coming late and taking my time away from Naruto," he said with a hint of annoyance.

Jiraiya laughed awkwardly. He moved and walked between Naruto and Haku. "So, Naruto? When are you going to take your girl on a date?" Jiraiya asked with a lecherous smile.

Naruto went pale. He looked around to see Haku and Zabuza shocked from the question as well. His eyes turned to Kotero who was holding in his laugh.

Knowing that the situation was bad, and he was in danger. Naruto decided to escape. "Haku! Let's go!" Naruto shouted while running off. Grabbing the girl's hand, he dragged Haku along with him.

Being surprised for the second time, Haku cutely yelped and went along with the dragging.

The three men watched the pair vanish in the crowd.

Zabuza sighed. "She doesn't know what's happening. The poor girl."

Kotero looked at Zabuza with a dead-panned look. "Oh my god! You do have emotions!"

Zabuza narrowed his eyes on Kotero. "So, what!?" he said. "I'm only human."

Kotero smirked at him. "I thought you said we were all tools. And tools shouldn't have emotions," he said with a tilted head.

Zabuza exhaled and released the tension in his shoulders. "I was in a bad place Crimson. With my village being rebuilt now, and Haku and I recovering, I'm a changed man," he said. "But I'm not completely wrong. We're the swords and shields of our villages. I don't want to fight someone like you or Kakashi, I would have to go all out. I might die again, so I've been training hard. I will be Kiri's sword."

Jiraiya and Kotero smiled. Jiraiya sighed and looked to the sky. "This is going to be swell. But, I have to ask, since we've been gone, has anything strange occurred?" Jiraiya asked.

Kotero tapped his foot, resting his hands behind his head, he then looked to Jiraiya. "To be honest, nothing has happened. I must have been imagining it, but I felt something like a mini-earthquake like… two days ago. Other than that, everyone and everything is okay."

Jiraiya nodded with a hum. "That's good. Tomorrow will be a different story though. What are you going to do now since the brats have left us?" Jiraiya asked Zabuza.

Zabuza crossed his arms. "I'll stay with Crimson here and wait for Mizukage-sama and Ao. They can't be too much longer."

Kotero nodded in agreement. "If I know any better, they're probably talking about their respective villages and how great they are. The old man is probably filling the room with his smoke I bet."

"Kotero, how old are you?" Jiraiya asked.

Kotero flinched slightly from the question. "Eh? I'm nineteen. Going on twenty soon. Why?" he asked. The question came out of nowhere. Even Zabuza was confused about it.

Jiraiya whistled before answering. "I was just wondering. It's the sort of age when a man goes after a woman, aren't I right?"

Kotero shrugged his shoulders. "The way I see it, there's no rush. What's gotten into you to ask me this?"

Jiraiya put on a lecherous grin. "Oh, there's just this babe with some of the nicest pair of breasts I've ever seen. Not huge, but certainly not small, a handful they were. Saw her when I was at the hot springs before coming here. Actually, she reminded me of Tsunade when we were in our twenties. Same height, maybe just taller. Long hair done in some sort of tail. Her hair was white though, not blonde," Jiraiya said.

Kotero frowned. "I don't want to hear you drool over an attractive woman. But white hair, I haven't met many with that. Only you. If you want to talk about women, find someone else Jiraiya."

Jiraiya whistled. "You're no fun. Anyway, I have to check something out. I'll see you tomorrow Kotero. Nice meeting you Zabuza, it's always nice to meet someone famous," he said as he walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Zabuza grunted. "That's the famous Jiraiya, huh? A bit underwhelming," he said.

Kotero nodded in agreement. "But his dormant power is nothing to underestimate. He could easily be the Hokage right now and have a firm grip."

Zabuza hummed. "Do you think you could beat him?".

Kotero laughed. "I don't know. I really don't know. I do want to fight him though. That's for certain."

* * *

 **Ichiraku Ramen**

"Ayame-neechan, please stop asking questions!" Naruto hissed out. "And bring me my bowl!"

After successfully escaping from Jiraiya's questions, Naruto and Haku went to the only place that Naruto could think of to get a quick meal. However, he didn't expect to be bombarded with more of the same from before.

Ayame giggled and took two bowls from the kitchen. Teuchi already had them made as his daughter interrogated Naruto.

"How can I not ask questions!? You leave for a month and then come back out of nowhere with a gorgeous girl. Come on, it's my right to know," Ayame said while waving a ladle.

Naruto frowned. "No, it's not," he said bluntly.

Ayame's face darkened and she glared at Naruto. "I'm the closest thing to a sister to you. Feeding you ramen since you were a tiny toddler. You owe me so much," she said while cracking her knuckles.

Naruto pulled back from the counter. "Sorry Ayame-neechan. Ask away!" he said.

Ayame's face changed back to her usual smile. "Good. Now, Haku-chan, I like your clothes. They look good on you," she said.

Naruto turned his eyes to Haku to see what Ayame was talking about. Naruto saw that the clothes the Haku was wearing now was completely different compared to the clothes she wore in the Land of Waves.

Naruto saw that instead of the heavy garb that covered her from head to toe, Haku was wearing lighter clothing. She wore a shinobi shirt with the sleeves rolled up, which was covered by a blue Kirigakure style flak jacket. Below was a short battle skirt that ended above her knees, it was similar in colour to the flak jacket. Naruto also saw that she was wearing dark blue shinobi sandals on her feet. He liked the outfit a lot better than the last one. It was clearly a better fit. In his opinion at least.

Haku blushed from the compliment and played with her food. "Thank you. I have to admit that Mizukage-sama helped picked out these clothes for me. I don't have much of a fashion sense," she admitted.

Haku noticed that Naruto was looking at her. "Are you ok Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto nodded. "I am. That flak jacket… Are you a Chūnin already?" he asked.

Haku nodded. "Zabuza-san had put in a good word for me when we got back to the village. I was immediately promoted and already started doing missions, mostly with Zabuza-san."

Naruto smiled. "I'm glad to hear!" he said before diving into his meal.

Haku started eating her own meal, at a much slower pace than Naruto. She assumed that Naruto missed the dish since he was raving about it so much on their way there.

Naruto finished his bowl and gave it to Ayame. She took her time, but eventually Haku finished her own bowl. Ayame smiled at her and took it.

Haku turned to Naruto. She had a question on her mind. "Do you think you will win the exams?" she asked.

If she had to say it herself, she wouldn't know if she could win with all the Genin there. Some of them were fierce warriors already. She knew first-hand how strong Sasuke was, and Naruto was strong as well, they would be tough fights.

Naruto grinned. "I do. I trained hard. I learnt new skills. I'm ready to show the village and the world my skills. Just you wait Haku."

Haku giggled from the confidence. It was oozing out of him. "Just to let you know, I'll be rooting for you," she said. "I want you to win."

Naruto smiled. "Looks like I have to win it now."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	19. Chapter 19 - Hardworking Geniuses

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 19 – Hardworking Geniuses**

 **Konoha Arena**

"How much time do I have left?"

Naruto was waiting outside of the main entrance to the Konoha arena. The day, like any other, was nothing short of perfection for a fight between high-quality ninja. Packed to the rafters, all were excited for the matches to come. Money and drink was being spilled around every corner.

Despite it all, Naruto was anxious for it. The challenges ahead could prove fatal. However, that couldn't stop the excitement that was growing deep in his gut.

Jiraiya peeked into the arena grounds. "There's six of them already there. Ten minutes until the finals actually start. I'd suggest you go soon," he said.

Naruto looked to his older brother who was observing Rock Lee in the distance. "Naruto. This will be a tough match no matter what way you approach it. Lee is trained by Gai. He's dangerous. Just be smart and think on your feet. Your imagination is a deadly weapon of itself," Kotero said.

Naruto grinned. "Easy for you to say. I'm a bit nervous of all this," he admitted.

Kotero laughed. "So are we! Jiraiya and I don't want to be seen as fools if you lose badly," he said.

Jiraiya hummed in agreement. "He's right you know."

Naruto scoffed at the two of them. "What's the prize of winning the finals?" he asked. The information was never released to him.

Jiraiya sighed. "It's five hundred thousand ryō. But the money isn't important. Winning and showing off your skills is key to this," he warned.

Naruto nodded his head. "I know, I know. You don't have to tell me twice. But come on! Why couldn't they give a million ryō?"

Jiraiya laughed lightly. "Why would Konoha want to give kids lots of money? They don't. Half a million is plenty for a kid like you," he said. "The bets made by the upperclassmen will be outrageous I tell you two. The Daimyō could bet half a million and it wouldn't even dent their wallets."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya. He then heavily exhaled. "That's a cheap move. This whole thing is a pain in the ass," he complained.

Kotero sniggered at Naruto's words. "Shikamaru would say it's troublesome. I'm surprised he's standing there before you Naruto. Seems like he's eager, well more eager than he usually is," he said.

Naruto smiled. He was glad that his lazy friend actually showed up. "Do I have to do this when I want to become a Jōnin?" he asked.

Both Jiraiya and Kotero shook their heads no.

Naruto clenched his fist in joy. "Sweet!" he said loudly.

"If you want to be a Jōnin, you either get promoted through a field promotion like I did or if another Jōnin sponsors you and you pass a test," Kotero explained. "The test however will only be testing only you and it only takes up one whole day. I was an invigilator for a few people."

Naruto looked at Kotero with curious eyes. "Did any pass?" he asked.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders. "Some did. Some didn't. It wasn't just me that tested them," he told Naruto. Kotero's words were lacklustre. "The majority do fail but they can have another try soon after."

Naruto claps his hands loudly and a fierce grin appears on his face. "Alright! I'm going now. Wish me luck," he said as he started to walk to the grounds.

"Good luck," both men said before disappearing off themselves.

Naruto knew that they body-flickered away to their own destinations. He knew where Kotero was going to, he was going to the stands above to watch the fights.

But he had no idea for Jiraiya. The man was very secretive when it came to his location. It was something Naruto didn't like about Jiraiya. Jiraiya always liked to decide where to meet and when to do things. It was like that for Naruto's training.

However, Naruto had a member of the legendary Sannin train him, so he didn't complain too much. He also had to admit that he learnt a lot under the tutelage of Jiraiya. Things that will help him today and his future career. The detrimental price however was that he also learnt many, many things that was pure nonsense.

It didn't take long for Naruto to note down that Jiraiya was an optimist. He was too, but the things Jiraiya said made Naruto a little uneasy. He talked about a prophecy, one that would take place soon. Naruto didn't listen to it too much, the only part that he liked was about peace. Peace all around the world.

Right now, it was only a pipe dream. And Naruto couldn't do a damn thing about it if he was just a Genin. He needed to be higher on the ladder. This examination, this final, this is the place and time to settle for it. To become the Chūnin that he is supposed to become.

Naruto walked on the dirt battlegrounds towards his other Genin and the exam proctor. Naruto made his way to Shikamaru who was on the end of the line of Genin.

Naruto turned his eyes to the proctor and saw it was someone different. A man with a similar forehead protector in the form of a bandanna. However, the knot was in front. The man ahead of him was chewing on a wooden senbon needle.

Naruto knew who it was. Shiranui Genma. Naruto had met him before while the man was visiting his house, obviously for Jōnin business with his brother.

Genma gave Naruto a slight nod. He had a smile on his face while chewing on his senbon. Naruto gave him a wink to acknowledge him.

"I'm glad you're finally here. I was getting bored. This whole thing is a drag," Shikamaru moaned out.

Naruto turned his head to see his friend looking annoyed. He could just tell that Shikamaru wanted to just run away from all this. However, Shikaku and Yoshino would kill him. Naruto shuddered to think what Kotero would do to Shikamaru. He knew that Kotero was excited not only for his match, but for Shikamaru's as well.

Naruto smiled at Shikamaru. "I wouldn't miss this even if I was sick. I'm itching to fight!" Naruto admitted. His fists were already closed and shaking.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "I will never understand you. I don't even want to be a Chūnin," he said.

"Why don't you forfeit right now then?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru grunted. "You have to wait until it's your round apparently. It's so if you do give up, everyone can shame on you," he said.

Naruto laughed lightly. "I would hate that. I'd rather fight," he admitted.

"Hm. I'm not you. Where's Sasuke? He's the only one not here," Shikamaru said.

Naruto looked along the line of Genin. Shikamaru was correct. It was himself, Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee and Two of the Suna Genin, Temari and Gaara. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto grew worried. Sasuke was looking forward to this more than most. To test himself against the strongest. It's something he wanted deep inside. Naruto knew that despite Sasuke's cursed seal affecting his thoughts and emotions, Sasuke wanted to test his meddle, for his aspiration in life. It was in Sasuke's blood, an Uchiha's blood. It was the same with Naruto. The Uchiha and Uzumaki loved to fight!

"Sasuke will come. He's trained hard for this," Naruto said with confidence.

Shikamaru scoffed at the words. "Whatever. It's his fault if he's late and gets disqualified. I just hope I don't have to do much work in my match," he said.

Naruto looked at Shikamaru with interest. "Did you learn any new jutsu for today?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru nodded sluggishly. "Oyaji and Aniki helped train me. Oyaji did work with our clan jutsu and Kotero-aniki just did some physical exercises and chakra training," he said.

Naruto sniggered. "Some? It was painful, wasn't it?" he asked.

Shikamaru nodded sluggishly again. "He's a monster. He doesn't understand restraint. One time, he made me do chin-ups. But then he just palmed me straight in the gut because he said my form was bad. He ruined a whole week for me," he said.

Naruto started to laugh hard. "Oh!? That's sounds like Nii-chan. But admit it, you're stronger now after his boot camp," he said with a sly grin.

Shikamaru nodded his head depressingly but had a wry smile on his face. "I'm not saying anything, but it explains how you're so strong physically. I wouldn't want to do that training though, it's too much work. Only an idiot would do that much work."

Naruto groaned. "You're so lazy," he said. "A bit of exercise is good for you Shikamaru."

Shikamaru looked at Naruto's waist. His eyes widened when he saw Silver, Naruto's new short sword.

"You're finally got a weapon of your own. I'm sort of excited to watch you now. Let's hope you have other skills to show off," he said.

Naruto grinned. "I have plenty of skills to show off. After all, this is the main stage, our performances will have to be the best."

Genma coughed. All the Genin turned their focus to him. "The finals are about to start. Just wait for Hokage-sama to announce it then we will get on our way. All I need you guys to do now is to look good for the crowd."

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Stands**

"Haku-chan! Come on, we have to get to our seats before the match begins!"

"I'm following you as fast as I can Kotero-san!"

Kotero and Haku went down the steps of one of the five main stands of the Konoha Arena Stands. The arena originally had three but this year they had to expand it by two to accommodate the more than expected numbers. Surprisingly, they could have built another large stand and still have a full house.

Tickets were sold to gain entry to the finals. Free tickets were distributed if you are the Sensei of a Genin or someone of high-status, such as a Daimyō.

As Haku is a guest of the Mizukage and Kotero is a well-respected Jōnin of Konoha, they got free tickets.

Kotero was leading Haku down to where Asuma, Kurenai, both of their Genins, Sakura and Anko were sitting. He knew it would be better to stick together and discuss how the matches play out with friends rather than himself.

"Kotero! Down here!" Asuma shouted. It didn't take him long to take a pack of cigarettes out and light one up for himself.

Kotero raised his hand to show he heard. "Haku-chan. I have a few people I would love for you to meet," he said to her.

Haku nodded with a smile. "Hopefully they'll treat me as nice as you have Kotero-san," she said.

Kotero's face quickly turned serious. "No. They're all assholes," he said. His face suddenly grew a silly smile. "I'm just kidding."

Kotero moved down to the second last bottom row of the seats. It seemed like they got some of the best seats of the house. They were all close to the action. The Genin were just in front and the Jōnin were behind them.

"Asuma, Kurenai, Anko and the Genin, I would like you to meet a friend of Naruto's and mine. Treat her nicely, she's a smart and strong girl," Kotero said as he let Haku sit beside Asuma.

They all looked at Haku with interested eyes. It made the Kiri girl nervous. She swallowed her built-up salvia and had a surge of confidence flow through her. "I'm Yuki Haku, a Chūnin of Kirigakure. Pleasure to meet you all," she said with a smile.

Everyone said their greetings to Haku all at once, making the whole greeting a mish-mash of noise. Haku smiled and nodded her head, pretending she could understand everything. She sat down beside Asuma while Kotero sat beside her. There was only a single empty seat beside him to his right.

Sakura squints her eyes and focuses on Haku. "You look sort of familiar," she said. "Have I met you before? Wait, how could I? You're a ninja from Kirigakure."

Haku shook her head with a sweet smile. "No. We have met. I was the ninja who tried to kill Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san on the bridge," she said with no hesistation. She didn't realise what she said would affect the two girls in front of her since they keep Sasuke close to their hearts..

The shocked faces of Ino and Sakura came as soon as they heard the words.

"Haha, seems like she's already shooting herself in the foot," Asuma said. "Kotero, you sure do attract strange people."

Kotero grunted. Asuma was not helping out at all. In fact, he was only adding to the fire.

Sakura pointed her finger at Haku and had gnashed her teeth. "Then why are you here!? You were working for a shady crime lord. That should be a crime in itself!" she said.

Ino gasped. "She did!? How can someone so pretty do such a vile thing?" she wondered.

Anko laughed hard after hearing Ino. "Girl, you know it's one of a kunoichi's greatest weapons. Seduction and playing innocent is an art that can make a S-ranked mission easy. Isn't that right Kotero?" she said with a sly grin.

Kotero narrowed his eyes on Anko. "I don't whore myself around like you do Anko. I have some self-respect. You should be more Kurenai, some of her prudishness might rub on you one day," he said.

"Hey!" Anko, Asuma and Kurenai said all at the same time.

Kotero focused on Asuma. "I get those two, but why you Asuma?" he asked.

Asuma grunted before giving him a wink. Kotero sighed from the response. It only told him that'll he'll find out later.

Haku giggled. "You guys are funny," she said between laughs. "Zabuza-san and the others aren't like this."

The Jōnin smiled. They made her comfortable.

Sakura turned away. Kotero knew she wasn't comfortable with Haku here. He didn't care too much about it though. Haku was in his care, he had to make sure that she was happy and enjoying herself. Mei would try to melt him if he didn't. That was something he would try to avoid for the rest of his life. Mei, although sweet in nature, had a vicious side to her.

Kotero saw Kiba and Hinata talking to each other. The two were beside Chōji, talking only to themselves. He decided not to bother them. Despite Kiba being in his care at the hospital, he felt that he made the Genin uncomfortable with his presence. He didn't know the reason why. Kotero must likely pointed it to being Naruto's big brother.

"The matches are about to begin you guys. I say sit back and enjoy the ride, this might take a while," Kotero said with an excited grin.

Everyone agreed with a nod.

"Is this seat taken?" a feminine voice asked.

Kotero hummed before turning his head to the source of the voice. "No, you can sit there… Why the hell are you here?"

Haku looked to see Kotero's face. It was terribly pale, as if he saw a real ghost. But there was only a woman with white hair done in a pony tail with deep dark blue eyes. She was wearing a dress that revealed her arms and legs. There was an orange ribbon tied in a bow around her hair knot. Haku thought the woman was extremely pretty.

"Something wrong Kotero-san?" Haku asked.

"Yes Kotero, something wrong?" the woman said in a sweet voice. She saw that she attracted the attention of the other ninja. The women were wondering who she was while Asuma and Kiba were looking at her attractive appearance.

"Well... If it isn't Hea-"

The woman quickly grabbed Kotero's wrist and pulled him off his chair and to the side. Kotero was surprised from the sudden speed and force. Her pull made him go into the air.

Kotero felt her lips come very close to his ear. "Don't call me that here. Just call me what you usually call me," she said in a stern tone.

Kotero pulled back his head narrowed his eyes on the woman. "Fine, Niko. Why are you here?" he asked. "It's dangerous for you to be in Konoha."

Niko hummed. "Are you worrying about me, huh? Well don't be. I could take on everyone here and survive. I would struggle with you and maybe that Kakashi person, but the majority here are no problem. Why I'm here, that's because I wanted to the fights and to see you again," she said.

Kotero barked out a laugh. "See me? Sure, you did. Come on, think of a better excuse than that. Why didn't you send a letter or something?" he asked.

Niko shrugged her shoulders. "Didn't want to. I though a surprise would be nice," she said.

Kotero rubbed his face in agony. With all the different nations fighting in the exams and watching in the stands, it was already a pressure pot ready to explode. With Niko, or her true alias Hearts, one of the Four Kings that rules over the Underworld across the Mainland was here, Kotero had no idea what to do.

Thinking about it now, he shouldn't be surprised if the only reason she came was to visit him, she was the type of woman to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, no matter what. It only made her more dangerous.

Kotero sighed. "Well, the fights are about to begin. We should sit," he said.

Niko nodded. "That's a great idea!" she said enthusiastically.

Kotero groaned at her. "Just shut up and sit," he said as he sat back down beside Haku.

Niko smiled at him and sat beside him. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" she asked him.

Kotero growled. "Fine. Asuma, Kurenai, Anko, all you Genin and Haku. This is my friend from the Capital. Her name is Niko. Please treat her nicely," he said with a sour tone.

They all said their hello's apart from Sakura and Ino. Both girls were staring at Niko with curious eyes.

Niko narrowed her eyes at them, making them flinch. She was a woman that loved attention, she didn't mind the two girls staring at her. However, she wanted to have a bit of fun.

"What are you two looking at?" Niko asked them with a tempered tone.

"You're so pretty," Ino said.

Sakura looked at Niko's arms. They were muscular and well-defined. Something she rarely saw on a woman in Konoha. "You look strong as well," she said.

Niko's narrowed eyes softened, and a confident smile appeared on her face. "I am very pretty. And these are because of hard work and training. I have to keep strong for my goals," she said.

Asuma focused his eyes on her. "You seem familiar Niko-san," he said.

Niko looked over to Asuma. "Do I? The Capital is a big place you might be confusing me with someone else."

Anko leaned back on her chair and finished off her dango packet. She got bad vibes off Niko and needed a sugar boost before asking anything. "How do you know Kotero?" she asked.

Niko smiled at the question. "I'm glad you asked. The first time I saw him was just over two years ago. I didn't talk to him, and I only saw the back of his head. Kotero went to the same bar soon after, since he was on another mission and we started talking," she told Anko.

Asuma smirked. "You never told me you had a girlfriend," he said, while slapping Kotero's shoulder.

The assumption was so ambiguous that even Chōji stopped eating his crisps and started listening to the conversation.

Kotero scoffed at the comment. "Because I don't," he said with certainty. "I would have if I did. First Jiraiya and now you Asuma, everybody in this village is so damn nosy," he complained.

Niko laughed. "That doesn't mean that you didn't try, right?" she said with a knowing smile.

"I don't want to talk about that!" Kotero said depressingly. "And definitely not in front of people."

"What happened?" Kurenai asked. The rest were waiting for the answer as well.

Niko latched herself on the depressed Kotero and pulled herself closer to the group. "We started talking more and more since Kotero kept coming to the Capital. After a fun day, he said something like, 'We should get some drinks and do something exciting'," she said. "I was flattered but it wasn't going to happen."

Kotero peeled Niko off him and put her in her seat. "Alright that's enough!" he said with a fluster. "Hokage-sama is about to speak. Everyone shut up and listen to him."

The others were laughing at Kotero's expense. The redhead obviously didn't want those memories to resurface.

Kotero saw Niko laughing herself. He felt like a right fool at this moment. He shifted his body, so he was the only one talking to her. "You just had to bring it up, huh?" he asked. "Embarrassing me like that."

Niko nodded with a smile. "The topic came up itself, it's not my fault" she said, her eyes and facial expression were playing the innocent card.

Kotero growled at the answer. She obviously had some influence in it and she knew it. Niko wanted to embarrass him in front of his friends. It was an accomplished mission now.

Kotero finally having the chance, looked at Niko properly. She looked different from before. "New outfit?" he asked.

Niko nodded. "Yes. I thought a nice dress would be good for a day like this. But then I remembered this was a ninja village, so I got a battle dress. Best of both worlds," she said.

"And that orange ribbon tied at your pony tail, what's that for?" Kotero asked.

Niko smirked at him. "It's to show I'm supporting Uzumaki Naruto in this tournament. Orange is his favourite colour."

"How'd you know that?"

Niko laughed lightly. "Remember, you told me before," she said.

Kotero didn't remember saying that at all. In fact, he didn't think he mentioned much about Naruto to anyone outside of Konoha. One off-handed comment was made in Niko's presence and that was it. There seemed to be a lot hidden under her words. A hidden agenda that he will get to the bottom to.

Kotero sighed. "We're having a long talk after the finals. No excuses. But for now, let's enjoy Naruto's fight," he said.

Niko smiled. "Good. That's one of the reasons on why I came here," she said. She shifted back in her seat, getting more comfortable. Resting her left arm on Kotero's shoulder despite his growl, she yawned. "I made a large bet of half a million ryō on Naruto to win the whole thing. The odds will give me a great turnout if he does," she said loudly.

Asuma bit hard into his cigarette bud when he heard the amount. Kurenai, Anko and the Genin weren't doing much better.

"Are you crazy? Half a million is too much!" Asuma said.

Niko shrugged her shoulders and scratched her cheek with right hand. "So? I have faith in Naruto. He's a special kid. I can see it."

Kotero chuckled, making Niko look at him with curious eyes. "What will you do if he loses?" he asked. Kotero had total faith in Naruto and the training he had undertaken, but the question popped into his head.

"Well, you'll just have to make it up to me somehow," Niko said to Kotero before turning back to see the arena grounds. Her arm still resting on Kotero.

Kotero gulped slightly. He didn't know if that was a death threat or not. The woman resting on him was one of the most powerful people in the village currently. Having seen her power first hand made him know for sure that Niko is someone you never want to be on her bad side ever.

Luckily, he always seems to be on the good end of things. Kotero's fear is that he doesn't know how long that will last. Niko is a woman, a King of the underworld, someone who can easily rival a Kage.

Haku pulled on Kotero's sleeve, making him look to her. She looked worried.

"Is Naruto-kun's first opponent strong?" Haku asked. Kotero could clearly see in her eyes that she wanted Naruto to win with all her heart.

Kotero nodded. "Rock Lee is a strong Genin. His taijutsu is outstanding. He would rival most Chūnin and some less experienced Jōnin if they only fought hand-to-hand."

Haku bit her lower lip. "That doesn't sound good," she said.

Kotero laughed at her words. "Don't worry Haku-chan. Naruto will get stronger when he's against a strong foe. It's in his blood. He'll show everyone here the true power of the Uzumaki," he said.

* * *

 **Kage's Balcony**

Hiruzen was watching the sky. His pipe hung loosely from his lip. The air was filled with a smoky aroma. To his left was the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa. He was completely covered from head to toe in his Kage attire. It made him suspicious of him. His guards also radiated an uneasy aura.

' _What is he hiding under that mask?'_ Hiruzen thought as his eyes focused on the cloth mask that covered most of the Kazekage's face.

Hiruzen sighed and then looked to his right. Terumī Mei was relaxing in her chair with her two bodyguards either side of her. Momochi Zabuza and the famous Ao of the Hunter nin department. He didn't need to be told that these two men could fight a battalion on their own and survive. They were strong ninja.

Hiruzen saw that Mei was looking at the Genin with keen eyes. Her eyes were directed onto Naruto. She was obviously excited for his match. He knew the reasons why already.

Hiruzen put his hand up and his bodyguard, Namiashi Raidō, who put his ear down to listen to his leader.

"There's still no sign of Kakashi or Sasuke?" Hiruzen asked.

Raidō shook his head. "I'm sorry to inform you that neither Sasuke or Kakashi have been located despite multiple ANBU teams being sent out, Hokage-sama," he said.

Hiruzen exhaled heavily. "No matter. His match is the last of the four. If he doesn't come before that, something will have to be done," he said.

Raidō nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama," he said before going back to position.

Hiruzen breathed in and out before laughing to himself.

The Kazekage focused his eyes on Hiruzen. "I wonder what has made you laugh Hokage-dono? Is it something to do with the missing Genin?" he asked.

Hiruzen smiled, but underneath the joyous expression, the comment annoyed him. "No. I'm just excited for these matches. I suppose I should start it soon."

Mei smiled at the news. "I think that would be a brilliant idea. I can't wait for the opening match. Naruto-kun and this Rock Lee will hopefully have a wonderful fight," she said. "Are you interested in your daughter's and son's matches Kazekage-dono?" she asked.

Rasa smirked underneath his mask. "Of course, I am. They will show that Suna shinobi are powerful and not to be looked down. Also, I will be able to watch how an Uchiha fights. It is exciting indeed."

"Indeed, it is," Hiruzen said as he got off his chair. "Sasuke's match is already built up to be one of the tournament. We'll see how it all plays out soon enough. Now, it is time I finally do the honours."

"This must be tiring you down Hokage-dono, maybe you should consider choosing the Godaime Hokage soon before it's too late," Rasa, the Kazekage, said.

Hiruzen laughed at the comment. Raidō, Mei, Ao and Zabuza all focused on the Kazekage. They were baffled that the Kazekage would even suggest that.

Hiruzen got to the balcony edge and coughed into his fist. "Don't worry about that. Everything is planned for the future. Someone is already in consideration," he said, surprising the two Kages and their subordinates.

"Can I ask who?" the Kazekage asked.

Hiruzen shook his head. "Now that will be silly to do that. Let's stop talking about this and start the fights. The people are waiting."

Zabuza leaned close to Mei's ear. "Mei-sama," he said.

"Yes Zabuza."

"I got a bad feeling about him," he admitted. "Something is fishy."

Mei nodded. "I feel the same. Keep your wits about you but act calm and natural. Let's enjoy Naruto-kun's match."

Zabuza pulled back before nodding to her. "Let's hope that the brat wins."

Hiruzen coughed again, making the Kage, their subordinates and the loud crowds quiet down to listen to his words. The man's mere presence was able to halt the insane volume.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. It gives me great honour to see everyone here to watch the Chūnin exam finals. The matches will show us the eight that passed the preliminaries. Sit back and enjoy the show. Let the matches begin!"

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Battleground**

Naruto gulped. The crowds cheered to the top of their lungs that the arena floor shook. His heart was racing, palms sweating. The fire in his gut was growing rapidly. He wanted to fight, he was ready.

Shikamaru pulled out some wax from his ear. His index finger was mucky afterwards. Flicking it off, he then groans. "If they keep that up, this whole thing is going to be troublesome," he said to Naruto.

Naruto giggled. "I want them to cheer my name when I win the first round."

"Alright you lot," Genma said, gaining their attention. "Same rules apply here that were in place in the preliminaries. There are no rules. Got it? First match is between Naruto and Rock Lee. The rest of you go to the waiting room balcony over there," he ordered.

The five other Genin turned around and walked towards the waiting room.

"Good luck Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted to Naruto before going up the stairs.

Naruto gave him a thumbs-up. He was pumped. The fight couldn't come any sooner now.

Rock Lee stared at Naruto with an excited smile. "Naruto-kun. Your older brother, Kotero-sensei, helped train me before. Gai-sensei made sure that I know that you are a challenge to be never underestimated. I knew that from the start, but I can't help but feel excited for our fight. I will win, but let our fight be a great one!" Lee said with shaking fists.

Naruto grinned. "Oh? Well to tell ya the truth, I've been waiting for this since I started training." Naruto's body leaked out his excited chakra, the wind blew around the two Genin, causing a swirl to form. A whirlwind grew from the dirt ground in the arena. It blew up to the crowds. The tension was growing. "Let's stop the talking and begin already!"

Rock lee positioned himself in the stance of the Strong Fist. He was ready to battle.

Watching him carefully, Naruto's eyes knew the time was now. Second nature came, and his body went into his Whirling fist fighting stance.

The crowd cheered loudly as they saw the two Genin stare down each other. Naruto and Lee were ready, the crowd was ready. There were only waiting for one word.

"Begin!" Genma said before jumping back quickly. He was already well warned that this was going to be a fast-paced match.

Rock Lee started the fight off with high acceleration. Hunching down and launching forward, Lee closed the distance between Naruto and him in little time. Jumping into the air, Lee twisted his body to perform a high spin kick. His target was the left side of Naruto's head.

As the kick was coming close to Naruto's head, Naruto leaned back quickly to let the kick pass by him. Naruto knew Lee can perform a second attack just as fast as the first one.

Naruto somersaulted backwards twice before landing on his feet and skidding on the ground. His back was now close to the arena wall. Without wasting time, Naruto threw multiple shuriken at Lee while he skidded, to make sure that his opponent couldn't run after him.

Lee watched these shuriken come to him quickly. They were all travelling in different paths but they all had the same point of target. Lee's chest. Lee took out a kunai from his holster and deflected the shuriken with ease.

The shuriken went straight into the ground. As soon as the last shuriken dug into the ground, Lee went after Naruto once again. While running, he placed back his kunai as he was preparing his next attack.

Naruto watched as Lee came closer and closer to him. He had to think of something quick.

Thinking of a quick plan, Naruto jumped back towards the arena wall. It was made out of reinforced concrete. A tough material that can absorb a lot of punishment. Naruto rested his back close to the wall and then waited for Lee to come to him.

Lee came in quick with his right fist pulled back, ready to strike. Launching his fist forward, Lee aimed to smash Naruto's face into the wall.

Using his quick reaction time, Naruto moved his head to the side and lifted his right foot up. The punch slid past him and hit the wall behind him.

 **CRACK!**

Spider web cracks were made as Lee's fist went deeper into the wall. It was clear that Lee had a monster of a punch. Lee grunted in little pain. The concrete wall was not something you should punch and not expect to come out pain free.

Naruto was glad that it wasn't his face that got the hit. It seemed that Lee wanted to end things quickly. Naruto assumed that Lee was warned that he has a wide variety of attacks. With Naruto's trickster mind, giving him more time would only lead to Lee's loss.

Taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him, Naruto smashed the bottom of his right foot into Lee's chest. It was not his strongest attack as he was in a standing position, however it was strong enough to make Lee jump far back to a safe distance away from Naruto.

Naruto felt the momentum shift into his favour. ' _I can't let him get away!'_

Naruto made his way to Lee. He was now close and personal, moving his body to leg sweep Lee, hoping it would trip him up. Naruto's grappling prowess could prove handy if he gets the chance to show what he is made of by putting Lee to the ground.

Lee jumped up to dodge the incoming leg sweep. He landed on his hands and used them to springboard out of the way and go high into the air.

Naruto saw Lee was now vulnerable since he was high in the air. Lee's skills only allowed to fight in close range. He couldn't perform any mid to long range attacks bar shurikens and kunai. Also, Naruto knew that it wasn't Lee's style to fight with these tools often.

As he sucked in air and expanded his lungs, Naruto weaved through six hand seals, ending in Dog. ' _ **Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere,**_ _'_ he thought.

Naruto blew out multiple cylindrical projectiles of compressed wind. The projectiles were powerful, but they sprayed in all different directions.

Lee saw the incoming attack and raised his arms to cover his face and upper body. Shifting his body in strange positions to dodge the majority of the attacks. Lee's control over his flexibility was remarkable.

One projectile struck Lee's arm. The force pushed him back far, he then landed on the ground where he skidded back a few paces. Blood leaked from his new cut and covered his arm. His sleeve was also partially ripped. The damage was minimal, but it made Lee realise the disadvantage he put himself into. Naruto was no ordinary opponent. He was someone never to underestimate, similar of how he thought of himself.

The rest of the cylindrical projectiles of compressed wind pierced through the concrete walls, creating circular and elliptical holes of where they entered. It was a powerful jutsu that Naruto hadn't completely mastered yet. More practice was still needed.

The five stands filled with the people cheered loudly. The fight has been entertaining so far, but it seemed that Naruto's jutsu really set them off. Despite it being horribly inaccurate, it was a crowd-pleaser of a move. Showing off your skills was an important element in this exam, Naruto was ticking it off his list with his variety of moves. Becoming a Chūnin was more important than winning the competition.

Lee grunted before exhaling heavily. "I see I really can't hold back against you Naruto-kun," he said. Lee then somersaulted backwards and jumped onto the wall, skidding upwards and using his chakra to stick onto the vertical surface.

Naruto watched carefully as he Lee slowed down and stopped. He was just a few metres away from the edge of the wall. The arena walls were taller than some of the buildings in Konoha, Naruto could see that Lee was quite the height off the ground.

"What is he doing?" Naruto wondered. He kept his hands close to his sides, waiting to react to whatever Lee had up his sleeve.

Lee relaxed his breathing; his body's tension was washing away. Suddenly, he focused his eyes onto Naruto and smiled at him.

The whole audience was waiting for Lee to show what he has prepared.

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Stands**

"What is that Lee kid doing?" Niko asked as she watched the match. She was enjoying it so far, she felt confident that Naruto will win this one through. Her money was on the line after all.

Kotero watched as Lee pulled up his orange leg warmers, there were two thick and wide beige belts strapped around both his lower legs. His eyes widened, and a gasp escaped his lips. Niko, Haku and Asuma noticed the change in him.

"Gai, you sly bastard," Kotero said as he watched Lee take the belts off him.

"What do you mean by that Kotero-san?" Kurenai asked. The others were wondering what he meant as well.

Kotero growled to himself. "Some time ago around the time that Gai became a Jōnin sensei. He said he needed some heavy weights to help train his taijutsu, for his legs. He asked me to make them by adding adjustable seals to individuals weights to an already existing pair of leg weights. Those there are the same pair," he told them. "He tricked me… He gave them to Lee."

Kotero turned his head to one of the other stands. There he saw Gai beside a sitting Tenten. Gai had a confident smirk pointed straight at him. Gai believed that this was Lee's victory now.

Asuma sighed. "Sure, they can't be too heavy, can they?" he asked.

"Just you wait and see Asuma. This could turn for better or worse now."

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Battleground**

"Yosh! Now I can move around a lot easier now!" Lee said loudly as he stood on the wall, with the weights in his hands.

Naruto was thinking a mile a minute now. It seemed that both he and Lee were in the same situation. He still had his body weights still activated. Lee wanted to bring this to the next level.

 **CRASH!**

Two huge dust clouds appeared where the leg weights landed. It seemed the weights were so heavy that they created two small craters on the arena ground.

Naruto gulped from the show that happened in front of him. He knew Lee was strong and loved his training, but this was just insane. He had to admit that Lee had 'Guts' in the bucket loads.

A sacred rule to all shinobi is that usually the one who makes the first move, gets the advantage in battle. Naruto knew he had to put pressure onto Lee before the latter gets used to his new lightweight body. If he didn't, Naruto could be looking at a loss, and fairly quickly at the look of things.

Thoughts ran through his mind, old memories of training popped up.

 _Sweet little brother, if you really want to show off your speed. Send chakra to your legs, build it up quickly, then explode and rush to your target to attack. Too little, it won't work, and you'll waste your chakra. Too much and you will rip your muscles and tendons completely apart. Now let's have some fun and sprint!_

Naruto got into a sprinting ready position and leaned forward. Remembering his training, he sent chakra all around his legs. He could feel a pressurised power building up in his hamstrings, quads and calves.

Naruto focused his eyes on his target on the wall, Lee. "Let's go!" he shouted. Naruto launched from his spot, making a dust cloud blow behind him. The audience were shocked to the incredible acceleration that Naruto showed.

Naruto ran to Lee's wall and didn't lose stride as he climbed up to Lee's position. Naruto started juking left and right as he was climbing up, hoping that Lee's eyes will be focusing on his unorthodox movements.

Naruto went into Lee's personal space and hunched down. He used his left arm to push away Lee's right arm. Having his fingers glide over Lee's eyes, Naruto was distracting him for his next attack. Naruto's right fist was following its path, ready to strike Lee straight in at left jaw with a right swing.

Lee smiled at Naruto despite being in a tough spot. In a mere moment, Lee moved himself from the spot and jumped fast off the wall, he then landed on the ground. To the centre of the arena battleground.

Naruto didn't want Lee to escape him so easily. Crouching down to the wall, Naruto sent chakra to his legs once again. Aiming himself to a spot in front of Lee, Naruto rocketed off the wall. Once he was close to the ground, Naruto used his hands to steady himself on the ground, he then twisted his body.

With his face to the wall he just jumped off and looking away from Lee, Naruto somersaulted back once and performed an overhead kick, aiming for Lee's head. Naruto carried all his momentum from his launch, putting it all in his right foot, ready to hurt Lee hard.

Lee moved from his spot again and dodged the attack, much to Naruto's despair. Naruto balanced himself in the air and landed safely. It didn't last long as the blur of Lee appeared to his left side. Naruto leaned slightly away and raised his left guard just in time to block the attack.

Lee moved away and now appeared behind Naruto, getting ready to do a high spin kick. Naruto read it effortlessly and ducked quickly.

Right now, he needed to think of a plan to hamper Lee's speed, so he could deliver a well-placed attack to seriously damage his opponent or even knock him out. The first thing he needed to do was to get some space away from Lee.

Lee steadied himself after his spin kick and proceeded to launch a side kick. Naruto crossed his arms in his crouched position. He took the attack and used it to skid away from Lee. The kick was not as powerful as Lee's other ones since he only had a standing start. Naruto utilised it, so he could get some breathing space from Lee and think of his next move effectively.

Lee disappeared from his spot and reappeared to Naruto's right side. All with his pure speed. Putting all his body-weight and strength, Lee focused his punch and aimed it for Naruto's right cheek. Pushing it through, Lee hit Naruto's face. Surprisingly, Naruto didn't even try to defend.

Lee smiled, this was his chance to finish things off. However, it was all just a ruse. As soon as he pushed his fist further, Naruto puffed into smoke a log appeared in his place, taking all the damage that Naruto should have received. The log exploded from the impact of Lee's amazingly powerful punch. Bark and shrapnel covered the grounds.

Lee looked around to find where Naruto has gone. The pressure that he applied was now washed away with Naruto's escape. Lee didn't know what to do now, apart from waiting for Naruto to appear to him. He was thinking that Naruto has cooked up some trap for him to fall into.

Lee chose not to move from his original spot in case he set off the trap. However, right there and then, he was a sitting duck. A terrible position to be in.

The crowd quieted down once Naruto had vanished. They were waiting for the next act to the show happening in front of them.

Lee heard footsteps behind him and got into position. Lee turned around and was surprised to see Naruto so close to him so quickly. It seemed that he wasn't the only fast one on this field.

Naruto and Lee exchanged blows, no clear hits were taken as their defensive guards were impressive. Each attack from one another was reacted expertly and they moved themselves for the best possible block.

Naruto fighting style, the Whirling fist, starts with he fighter going at the same pace as the opponent and then hitting them with an attack with explosive speed, faster than the other expects. The problem was that Naruto couldn't utilise this, as Lee was simply too fast to use it.

It didn't help that Naruto's reach was shorter than Lee's, as Lee is far taller than Naruto and had longer limbs.

Lee did his famous **Konoha Whirlwind** kick attack. Naruto took the brunt of the move and decided to skid away from Lee. It didn't surprise him that he went quite the distance after Lee hit him.

Naruto grunted in pain but ignored it. He'll suffer the pain later, right now, he had to beat Lee. Naruto took out a scroll from his pouch and unfolded it. There was a seal array for the storage of weapons. Naruto believed it was time to put his new training to the test.

Naruto flowed chakra to the seal. A large puff of smoke appeared over the seal. Naruto quickly threw the scroll away as he had no use for it now.

Lee moved from his spot with pace, his body moved naturally to create an attack. A left back heel kick was already in motion. Lee moved in close and rested his balance all on his right foot. Rotating with as much power as he could muster at that moment, Lee moved his left foot in a massive arc, just to strike at Naruto's head. A dangerous move and a sure knockout move if there is contact.

Lee felt pain flow straight through the length of his leg. Looking at his left foot, he saw his answer on why. A metal staff was blocking the path to Naruto's face.

Lee retracted his foot and jumped back, to make distance between him and Naruto. As he landed, he gave his left foot a quick shake to try and ease the pain. It soon went away.

Naruto showed off his staff by spinning it around in large curves, he stopped and then struck one end into the ground. Some of his chakra was absorbed into the staff, and as it landed, a blow of dust blew in all directions. To Lee, it made Naruto look more intimidating than he was before.

Even though the staff was much taller than Naruto, the short ninja looked very comfortable with the weapon. Naruto trained hard for it as well, it helped that he had a knack for it, similar to his lockpicking. It came naturally to him with the training.

The staff was a great weapon, it easily absorbed his chakra and it gave Naruto the range he never had with his fists. It also helped that the staff had a secret that most would never suspect.

Lee was now feeling uneasy. Tenten was the only ninja he has ever had experience with that used a staff or even was experienced in bōjutsu. It scared him that Naruto could react to his attacks and block appropriately. Tenten could never react quick enough when they sparred for real. This was new territory for him.

Putting his growing fear aside, Lee ran towards Naruto with the intent to hurt. He appeared to Naruto's right and feinted a left punch. He then disappeared and appeared to Naruto's left side and already had his right fist ready to strike. He tried to move as fast as he could and to not lose his balance. This caused Lee to have tunnel vision and only see what was happening in front of him.

 **SMASH!**

Lee spat out blood. He looked down and saw Naruto's staff hitting all across his abdomen. A direct hit. He took a gamble and it didn't pay off. Lee was frustrated that Naruto could predict where he was going to attack. Naruto didn't even need to watch him move, he already knew where the attack was coming from. Lee jumped back, and then tried again.

Moving to Naruto's rear side, Lee slid his foot across the ground, creating a dust cloud and a loud noise. He was hoping to create a distraction. Lee then moved and appeared to Naruto's left side. Feinting a high kick, he moved his right leg up high, pretending to try and hit Naruto's head. As it was a fake, Lee put his foot back to the ground before disappearing and reappearing to Naruto's right side.

In the meantime, Naruto twirled on his feet and swung his staff at first low and then high. The long range of the staff made life hell for Lee. Lee had to stop his attempt to attack and roll back to dodge the end of Naruto's staff.

As the end of the staff passed over him, it suddenly moved much faster. Lee saw Naruto spin again and shift his arm and grip. Lee saw what Naruto was doing and immediately jumped back. It was a double attack, based on the Uzumaki taijutsu style. The second attack was much faster than the first.

Lee watched as Naruto finished his spin, causing a whirlwind of dust to form around him. The crowd cheered loudly. The fight has been extraordinary in terms of taijutsu and weapons use. Both sides seemed to still have plenty of energy.

Naruto felt the time was now for him to finish the fight. He didn't plan on doing this so soon. Saving it for his potential final fight for Sasuke or Gaara. But Lee wasn't going to go down anytime soon. To Naruto, this match needed to end now. His mind also wondered to the warning he was given yesterday. Kotero was a lifesaver to Naruto after spying on Lee over the training period.

 _Make sure to end it before Lee unleashes his true power. He will resort to the Gates if he is cornered!_

Naruto breathed in and relaxed his racing heart. He needed to be calm, the decisive moment was about to come.

Naruto held his staff so it was horizontal, completely parallel to the arena battle ground. He threw it up into the air where it hovered above his head, spinning smoothly. With his left hand, Naruto formed a one-handed Ram hand seal and expelled the chakra out of his right hand.

 **Split!**

Lee and the audience gasped once they saw Naruto's staff completely split perfectly in half. As the shortened staffs dropped, Naruto gripped onto them. His eyes focused onto Lee, his determination was oozing out of his aura.

"Lee, it's time to end this!" Naruto shouted. He was dead serious.

' _Now is the time. Come on and give it to me!'_

Naruto felt that his body was being taken over by an enormous presence. The Kyūbi was releasing its chakra to him. It was an agreement they made over the training period, it seemed that the Kyūbi was rather happy obliging after thinking about it for some time. Naruto would never forget its horrifying cackle after it agreed on that day.

Naruto knew it was dangerous, but he needed this to finish Lee off quickly. Keeping his willpower strong and his objective clear, Naruto controlled the small amount of the amazing chakra that the Kyūbi gave him.

Lee saw Naruto's pupils turn into slits. The irises stayed blue, but something was happening. Something big.

 _Lee, Naruto-kun has a special power. Once you see it, don't hesitate. Do what you need to do to abide and protect your ninja way._

The words of Gai rung through Lee's mind. This must have been the special power that he mentioned. Lee was willing to throw his life away to protect his ninja way, he was willing to do anything to make sure his dreams come true.

Lee narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, forming a X shape.

The two Genin focused, the ground started to crack up and small rocks went up into the air. The air was starting to push back from the forces emitted.

Red chakra covered Naruto's body and waved about in nine red tails. Naruto's nails elongated, become sharper and deadlier. His fangs showed their deadly edge. Soon after, the chakra wrapped itself around Naruto in a thick red shroud of pure destructive power. His half-staffs absorbed it as well, they also radiated this intense power.

Blue chakra covered Lee's body, his skin getting redder and darker. A green aura shrouded his body, his sweat evaporating because of the increase of his body temperature. Veins starting to appear all over his face. His large pupils disappeared, everyone saw that his eyes were completely white.

The forces emitted from both Genin were so powerful, there were growing dust clouds enveloping the inner rim of the arena wall.

"AAAHHH!" Naruto and Lee shouted as they felt their bodies suffer in pain. Their powers were growing tremendously but their bodies were suffering the price for it.

The crowds became quiet as they were all stunned from the show of power that was displayed to them.

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Stands**

In the stunned crowds, there were whispers firing all around the stands.

"What is going on with them!?" Ino asked, looking between the Jōnin for a clear answer.

Asuma's cigarette dropped from his mouth. Crushing it under his foot, he turned his head to Ino. "Lee is releasing the Eight Inner Gates," he said. "This whole fight is insane!"

' _And not just that. Naruto is also using the power of the Kyūbi… Naruto,_ ' Anko thought. A cold sweat ran down her back. She was worried for the blond, she took a real liking to him.

"The Eight Inner Gates?" Sakura asked.

"The Eight Inner Gates, specific tenketsu points that limit the flow of our chakra. Opening a gate increases the flow and power to that person," Kotero explained. "It's an incredibly hard feat to achieve. Opening all eight gates allows even the worst of the ninja to surpass the Kage. That's how amazingly powerful it is. It works incredibly well with the Strong Fist fighting style, which is aimed to overpower and break bones."

Haku watched with concerned eyes over Naruto. She knew what was going on. "Naruto-kun, don't lose yourself," she said.

Kotero patted her shoulder, making her look to him. "Don't worry Haku-chan. Naruto is in control. Can't you see it?" he said.

Haku didn't know what to do or think.

Niko rested on Kotero's shoulder again, much to his digression. "I never knew that Naruto was that kind of _special,_ " she said.

Kotero narrowed his eyes on Niko. "Don't push it. If you know what's happening, keep your mouth shut and we can talk about it later, when we're alone," he said.

Niko hummed in agreement. She liked that idea. "Definitely over some Sake as well."

Asuma took out a new cigarette and lit it. "Lee is going to make his move now, he's at the Third Gate," he said.

Kotero shook his head. "No. Not yet, he's going one step further beyond to the Fourth Gate," he said. Kotero stood up and moved to the rails quickly. "Come on Naruto, stop wasting time and kick Lee's ass now!" he yelled out.

"You don't need to shout!" Asuma barked out.

Kotero grunted before turning his head to Asuma. "How else would he hear me then?"

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Battleground**

Hearing the cheer of his brother, Naruto reversed grip his half-staffs and was about to attack. However, Lee hunched forward and blitzed his way to Naruto. He moved so quickly that the audience struggled to even see his blur.

Naruto saw him coming. The Kyūbi's chakra has enhanced his senses and his reaction timing to new and amazing levels. Despite his reaction and senses being at an all-time high level, Naruto knew that Lee's release of the Eight Gates enhanced his speed to a higher level compared to his own.

Knowing now that it's too late to be able to dodge successfully, Naruto sent his chakra to his feet, to keep him grounded for the incoming attack. He had to take a hit to dish out an even stronger one.

Lee came in and struck the Naruto's chin with his mighty upward kick. Naruto grunted in pain and felt that he was going to fly in the air. However, his feet stuck in place and he wasn't blown away from his spot.

Dropping his left half-staff, Naruto gripped Lee's ankle and pulled him up from the ground. Lee was now in the air and parallel to the ground with Naruto hovering over him, ready to attack. Naruto began a five-strike combo on Lee. Two shots in the abdomen, a left punch to Lee's liver, a right to Lee's left ribs and finally a fierce left palm strike to Lee's chest.

The Kyūbi enhanced strikes blew Lee into the arena grounds. This surprised Lee and Gai, they thought no one could hold up against The Eight Inner Gates.

Naruto grabbed onto Lee's hair and threw him from the crater that he created with Lee's body. Lee flew across the battlefield and landed in a tumble once he had hit the ground.

Naruto watched Lee get back up with no resistance, no hesitation. Naruto only knew a little bit about The Eight Inner Gates. One thing he did know was that the fourth gate, **The Gate of Pain,** already creates excruciating pain for the user, so his attacks must not be affecting him too much at that moment.

Naruto grabbed his half-staffs off the ground and launched himself at Lee. He could feel his chin repairing itself at an incredible rate with the aid of the Kyūbi's chakra. It was most certainly damaged from the spectacular kick from Lee. Naruto had to make sure to pay him back for all this.

Naruto and Lee ran at each other. The ground around them broke apart and spiderweb cracks appeared all around them. Dust raised up as they exchanged fists.

The fighters never stayed in the same spot for more than a few blows. It moved to various locations in the arena ring. Naruto and Lee fought on the ground one minute, on the wall the second and encountered each other in the air in the third. This was a ferocious battle and one that the crowd were loving.

Lee's impactful punches and kicks created craters whenever he struck the ground or wall. Naruto's attacks were just as fierce. Gusts of wind were made whenever Naruto swung his half-staffs.

From the air where they were fighting, Naruto used Lee as a launchpad to go to the ground. Landing safety, he began to mould chakra for a jutsu. He never tried a jutsu with the aid of the Kyūbi, but there's never a better time than the present.

Naruto saw Lee jump all around the arena, from wall to wall. Naruto knew he only had one shot to actually hit Lee, his opponent is simply too fast to hit, Naruto had to time his attack perfectly.

Throwing his half-staffs to the distance, he thought of his next attack. As Naruto ran through the five hand seals, ending with Snake, and built up air into his lungs, he watched Lee move around the walls with pace. Lee showed a pattern in jumping around in a square, always hitting the same corners.

' _ **Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!**_ _'_ Naruto thought as he released a focused and deadly stream of compressed wind. It blew straight to the predicted spot of Lee was going to land. Naruto hunched forward and pulled back his left arm to increase the speed of the stream of wind. This was more powerful than any other time he did this jutsu. It was also a lot harder to control.

The stream of wind hit the wall with force, the gales and gusts flowed in all directions. Spreading across the arena wall, Naruto's jutsu transformed from a focused point attack to an area attack. Naruto knew that he might not have had a direct hit on Lee but surely, he got him in the waves of wind.

Naruto stopped his jutsu. The wind eased up. Naruto focused on the spot where he attacked and saw three large divots in the wall. Naruto gnashed his teeth, it seemed that Lee escaped.

The sound of skidding was heard behind Naruto. Naruto turned around while keeping his head low. Immediately seeing Lee, Naruto started his attack.

Lee knew he couldn't let Naruto trample him. He went in with his fists.

In the middle of the arena battleground, Naruto and Lee were in the middle of a close-combat bout. The two were beginning to feel strained due to the dangerous methods they used to attain the power they're currently using.

Seeing an opening in Naruto's defence, Lee kicked Naruto straight in his abdomen. Naruto, grunting in dire pain, skidded back. Lee didn't waste time and closed down the distance between him and Naruto.

Lee pulled back his left fist and then punched Naruto straight in the face. At this time, Lee pulled back his right fist and then punched Naruto in his ribs. He swore he heard a bone crack.

Lee tried to pull back his right fist, but he couldn't. Looking at it, he saw the bloody hand of Naruto gripping on it for dear life.

Naruto grinned as the time to finish this once and for all has finally come. He was hoping for Lee to be knocked out but the taijutsu expert simply would not go down.

Using the last of his Kyūbi chakra, Naruto flipped Lee over his shoulder and smashed him into the ground. The ground split in half with the impact. Naruto then twisted Lee's right arm, and applying force, he broke Lee's arm. It was a struggle, but Naruto made sure he knew it was definitely broken.

Lee screamed horrifically. The pain of The Eight Inner Gates and the pain of a broken limb was just too much not to scream about.

Naruto couldn't get out of the flow. He grabbed the back of Lee's head and smashed it into the ground with all his might. He had to make sure he finished off his unbelievably tough opponent.

Blood leaked from Lee's nose and the cuts on his face. Naruto's Kyūbi shroud disappeared, and he breathed heavily. Lee's chest was still breathing but it looked like he wasn't going to move another muscle.

Genma appeared via a body-flicker and picked up Lee's head. Both he and Naruto saw the droopy closed eyes and a sluggish smile. Lee was unconscious. The fight was over.

Genma stood up and raised his right hand. He then pointed his hand to Naruto. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto," he announced loudly.

The crowd shouted and screamed. The match was fantastic, and they absolutely loved it. It was an incredible opener. Most were wondering how in God's name the other matches could hold a candle to this one.

Medical-nin came onto the grounds with a gurney in hand. They picked up Lee and placed him onto it.

"We have to get him to the hospital. The arena infirmary doesn't have the facilities to take care of him properly," one of the two medical-nin said.

Naruto made himself known to them. "Oi, make sure Fuzzy eyebrows is in a room near Nii-chan's office. He'll take care him good," Naruto told them after he spat out some blood.

The two medical-nin nodded. They then ran off with Lee in hand, hoping to secure a private room for the brave Genin.

Genma sighed, the crowd were cheering loudly. "Looks like they want the next match now. Oi Naruto," he called out.

Naruto turned his head to Genma. "What?"

Genma tilted his head to the stairs. "Get to the balcony or go to the main stands. The next match is about to start soon."

Naruto nodded and went off his way. He knew that his next match will be round five. He would have plenty of rest time before it came. With that in mind, Naruto made his way to the main stands to get a pep talk off his brother.

Naruto was feeling as high as a kite at the moment, but he knew that this could be dangerous. The cheers didn't help so he needed a dose of reality to hit before his next match. A part of him wanted to be congratulated. He knew he deserved the praise.

Naruto waved to the crowds, which made them roar to a louder volume before he climbed the stairs to the main stands. He knew that Kotero and the others will be in the central stands, underneath the Kage balcony. He made his way through the empty corridors.

Finally, he arrived at the central stands. Every seat was completely filled. It seemed that his fame was short-lived because as he went down the stairs, nobody said anything to him. It might have been for respect to give the fighter space, but Naruto just wanted one compliment.

Naruto saw a spikey red hair close to the bottom of the stands. Smiling, he made his way down. The pain that he felt after the fight was easing up significantly. The Kyūbi's healing factor was taken for granted. Naruto swore he would be in a hospital bed right now if it wasn't for it.

"Nii-chan!" Naruto said as he made his way to their row of seats. His voice was filled with joy.

Kotero heard the voice and stood up, turning around, he looked at Naruto with the biggest grin. "Naruto! Well done! That was an amazing fight. Excuse me Niko, I gotta hug him!" he said as he made his way to Naruto, delivering a bone-crushing hug.

"Ah, Nii-chan! That's sore," Naruto said as he pushed his way out of it. Once he was free, he saw a woman come up to him and ruffle his hair. Naruto looked up and saw white hair and dark blue eyes. And a smile that warmed his heart. "Niko-neechan!?"

"That was a fine match Naruto. I'm impressed with how strong you are. I'm sure all the ladies around here are as well," Niko said, her smile not fading.

Kotero narrowed his eyes on Niko. He then sighed deeply. "You two met already it seems. I bet not too long ago as well," he said. "Naruto is a god damn magnet for troublesome people," he muttered under his breath afterwards.

"What you did you say?" both Naruto and Niko asked simultaneously.

Kotero bared his teeth. "Nothing. I said nothing," he said in a defeated tone. He watched as the other Genin and Haku came over and started to congratulate Naruto. Niko went back to her seat and watched Naruto with a smile.

It made him wonder what her agenda was with all this. Kotero knew they met before. Most likely in the training period that Naruto just came back from. Naruto did say to him last night that he did venture through the capital and met an old fortune-teller and a smart pretty lady. Kotero could never have imagined it was Niko, or rather Hearts, one of the 'Four Kings' of the Underworld.

The news was unsettling. However, he could clearly see that Niko liked Naruto. Kotero knew how she treated those that she didn't like, it made him worry if he or Naruto made her upset in the future. It could be their end.

' _If we keep on her good side, we could think of it as protection,'_ Kotero thought.

Kotero sighed. This whole situation was troublesome to say the least. He didn't hate Niko, no far from it. She was an interesting and strong woman. Very resourceful in many ways. She only came into power not too long ago, but she made herself known across the Underworld to be feared.

The only problem Kotero could see was that their connection to one another, Naruto included, could harm them. Naruto or himself could face trouble in Konoha and she could face trouble in what she dealt with in the future. It was certainly not something he wanted to think about.

Kotero made his way back to his chair and sat down.

"How're you doing?" Niko asked. She shifted her body to face him. Her question was genuine.

Kotero nodded with a wry smile. "I'm actually doing really good. Don't take this the wrong way, but I was shocked to see you today. But, I am glad that you did come," he said.

Niko smiled. "Me too. It was totally worth the long trip to Konoha just for this fight. Naruto is extremely entertaining," she said.

Kotero lightly laughed. At that moment, a question popped into his head. "Why do you find us so entertaining? Or interesting to that fact? I've been wondering about that for a while now," Kotero asked.

Niko sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders. "I'll tell you when the time is right. Not when people are around."

Kotero clicked his tongue. "A private matter, huh? Suit yourself," he said. Kotero stood up and looked to Naruto with a smile. "Naruto. Even though I love that you're here. It would be better if you went to Shikamaru and where the other Genin are."

Naruto heard the words. "Alright Nii-chan. See you guys," he said as he ran off.

"Good luck Naruto."

"Naruto give it your all!"

"You can win your next one Naruto!"

"I believe in you Naruto-kun!"

"Show what your made out of!"

"You can do anything you put your mind to Naruto-kun!"

The words of Sakura, Ino, Chōji, Hinata, Kiba and Haku were heard. Naruto smiled and waved at them as he left the stands and went back to the corridors.

Racing to the end, Naruto went to the small room that was reserved for the competitors. Entering he saw all five of his fellow Genin stare at him. Naruto quickly shuffled past them and made his way to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru groaned once Naruto got to him. "I thought we part of the uncool group but you're a part of the cool group now," he complained.

Naruto looked at Shikamaru with confused eyes. "What are you on about?" he asked.

Shikamaru groaned further. "All those people cheering for you. They loved you out there," he said.

Naruto hummed in agreement. "They did, didn't they? Haha, they just loved me fighting. Not me myself," he said.

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "I don't know if everybody noticed, but you used some special power. What was it?" he asked quietly.

Naruto became quiet, his expression dropped its joy. "Shika… Not now. I will tell you, I swear," Naruto whispered.

Shikamaru focused on Naruto. "You promise?"

Naruto nodded energetically. "I promise!"

Shikamaru sighed and then smiled. "I expect to hear about it soon. Even though it's all troublesome, I'll find out about it after the exams," he said.

Naruto chuckled to himself. "I just hope you won't hate me when I tell you," he said.

"Naruto, we're best friends, right?" Shikamaru said. "Why would I ever hate you?"

Naruto grinned. "You're right. We are best friends!" he shouted, making everyone around him focus on him. Naruto giggled in awkwardness and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"Would Aburame Shino and Hyūga Neji come to the battlegrounds," Genma said. His voice was amplified with chakra. A necessity for this competition, the thousands of people watching were making a ruckus.

Naruto watched as both Shino and Neji leave them. The next match was about to begin.

"This is getting interesting, I wonder how this one will play out."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	20. Chapter 20 - Afternoon Nightmare

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 20 – Afternoon Nightmare**

"This doesn't look good."

"Neji is swarmed by those kidaichū beetles. His whole body is covered from head to toe. What would you do Shikamaru?"

"I don't know Naruto. Shino would be a bad opponent for me. You know I only really have my shadow possesion jutsu. I wouldn't be able to hold the guy, there's way too many bugs to handle."

The second round was already underway. It was the match between Aburame Shino and Hyūga Neji. The fight had only just started. Both fighters tested the waters and were just warming up. Shino launched the first true attack by creating a swarm of kidaichū beetles to turn into a Tsunami of insects. It went over Neji in an instant.

The Genin, spectators and the Kage saw that Neji was in trouble. The main question on everyone's mind was how could Neji possibly escape this.

Naruto and Shikamaru were watching the match closely. For both of them, it held a potential opponent. More likely for Naruto though, he was hoping to go into the finals, so he had to defeat whoever is victorious here. Shikamaru wanted to ditch the whole event.

Suddenly, the kidaichū beetles blew off in an instant. Neji was covering himself with a large hemisphere of chakra. It was spinning in one direction. An amazing technique performed with perfect execution.

"What was that?" Shikamaru wondered. "I'm sure he shouted out something like ' **Kaiten** '… That looks like a dangerous move. How does it work?"

Naruto watched Neji slow down. The hemisphere of chakra dissipated once he stopped rotating. It was a unique technique, one he never saw before. "Shikamaru, there are special jutsu for every clan, right?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, even your clan has special techniques only known to the users."

Naruto bit on his thumb. "I think what Neji did was only used by the Hyūga, the move looked like something weird, like their fighting style," he said.

Shikamaru looked at Naruto before looking back to the fight. "If that's the case, then there should be a lot more in store for Shino. He has his bug ninjutsu, but I don't know if he can win, Neji was the strongest Genin of his class."

Naruto hummed in agreement. He then watched Neji enter a new stance. He spread his arms out, his left in front and his right aimed behind. He leaned forward and smirked at Shino.

Naruto and Shikamaru watched as Neji appeared in front of Shino and hit him with a series of chakra enhanced finger strikes. It started with two strikes, then four, eight, sixteen and then finally thirty-two. Sixty-four in total.

Shino skidded back from the attack and struggled to keep standing. He eventually collapsed onto the floor. His whole body couldn't move properly.

The two were awe-stricken from the move. They watched Neji dust off his clothes. Genma made the call, Neji was the winner. The crowd cheered for the victor, however they didn't cheer as loud as they did for Naruto. This made him happy to some extent. He was a bit saddened that Shino was humiliated in skill and power throughout the match.

Now Naruto knew two techniques of Neji's, which most likely belonged to the Hyūga clan. This was a great advantage to have. He could formulate some plan to hamper Neji, or even just pinpoint the right spot with the right attack. The choice was his.

As Shino was being pulled out of the arena by a gurney, Shikamaru looked between Naruto and the proctor, Shiranui Genma.

Genma coughed in his hand before looking at the sheet with the match tree. "Would Shikamaru and Temari come down now," he said loudly.

"Yep. This is too much of a hassle. I'm giving up," Shikamaru said while gripping on the rail hard.

Naruto hit his fist off the rail while laughing. "Haha, that's funny Shikamaru," he said.

Shikamaru shook his head violently, he then stared at Naruto. "I'm being serious. This is too much of a drag. I just want to stay home, maybe watch a cloud. Not fight some bothersome Suna woman in the afternoon. I have better things to do," he complained.

Naruto clicked his tongue. "No way. I'm sorry Shika. But I'm doing this for your own good. Kotero-Nii will dish out something worse compared to Yoshino-kaasan if he sees you forfeit now," he said.

Naruto grabbed Shikamaru by the collar and the waist strap of his pants. He then lifted him up and threw him off the balcony. There was no way he could survive the aftermath if he gave up. Shikaku wouldn't care too much but Naruto knew that his mother figure and his brother would kill Shikamaru if he didn't at least try. Naruto loved Shikamaru too much, he couldn't lose him. He was only saving his best friend.

"I'll get you back Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted from the ground.

Naruto laughed from the sight of a dirty Shikamaru. It wasn't something you see every day. Naruto's laughing stopped when the Suna kunoichi, Temari, jumped off the railing and flipped far into the distance. Landing across Shikamaru. It was an impressive display of finesse.

Naruto grinned. "This match is going to be a good one. I just know it," he said. He was excited for it, his blood was pumping hard.

 **PUFF!**

A small cloud of smoke appeared on the rail. The smoke was cleared by amphibious red hands. Naruto saw it was a messenger toad. It had a brown satchel wrapped around its shoulders.

"Did Ero-sennin send you?" Naruto asked the toad quietly.

The toad nodded. " **I've been sent by Jiraiya-sama to send a message to Naruto-sama. Here it is** ," the toad said. He hands a slip of paper to Naruto before it disappeared.

Naruto opened up the piece of paper. It read " _Meet me outside. Love, Jiraiya._ "

Naruto groaned and crumbled up the piece of paper. Shoving it deep into his pocket, he went on his way to the exit. He was wondering what Jiraiya could possibly want at a moment like this.

Before leaving, Naruto grabbed a bottle of water off the refreshments table.

"I can't wait for our battle, Uzumaki Naruto. It will be a good chance to kill you," Gaara said with bloodlust.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on Gaara. He began to laugh. "Well, you will have to beat Sasuke, and let me tell you, Sasuke is strong," he warned.

Gaara looked around and then crossed his arms. "I don't see the Uchiha here, only you."

Naruto clicked his tongue. "Damn, you're right. Stupid Kakashi and Sasuke coming late, making us look like idiots," he said under his breath. Naruto passed by Gaara with quick feet, he didn't want to set off the ticking time bomb that Gaara seemed to be.

Entering the corridors, it didn't take long for Naruto to find Jiraiya. The man was massive after all, and his white hair was recognisable anywhere.

Naruto came to stand to Jiraiya's front, giving him a nod before speaking. "Ero-sennin," he said.

Jiraiya shook his head and clicked his tongue. The nickname annoyed him to no end. The worst part of it was that it was completely true. But was he going to change who he was to get rid of the nickname? Not on his life, Jiraiya was a proud super pervert and always will be.

"Naruto. Well done on winning your match. Gai's pupil was pretty impressive himself. Now you have his other one in your next round," Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded with a large grin. Confidence was present in his strong persona. "Yep. I know I can win this whole thing now! They're all going to be hard fights, but I know I can do this!" he said enthusiastically.

Jiraiya smiled, he could see the deep hunger within Naruto's eyes. It was something he hasn't seen in a long time.

"The crowd has seemed to really like you and that fight. I wonder how they will react to your next one," Jiraiya said.

Naruto grinned. "Seriously? Well, I aim to please." Rubbing his hands together, the all-important question popped into his head. "Have I done enough for a promotion?" he asked.

Jiraiya looked up to the ceiling before answering. "Possibly. You certainly showed a variety of skills and techniques. You escaped when Lee was applying too much pressure. And you defeated him after using the power of the Kyūbi. It's a close one," he said.

Naruto became downtrodden. "That's not good enough. I need to become a Chūnin."

"I heard you loud and clear. In your next fight against Neji, you could perhaps defeat him without using the Kyūbi's aid or your staff. If possible, try a different method of beating him. Sensei has the final say but I'm sure the other ninja, businessmen and Daimyō already have good things to say about you," Jiraiya said.

"Who would have the most sway in things?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya chuckled. "You're sounding more like a Chūnin now. The Fire Daimyō and the Jōnin commander. But I hear his opinion is nulled since he has close relations to two of the competitors."

Naruto groaned. "Shikaku-Ojisan. I forgot about that. So, he can't say anything about me or Shikamaru?"

"Well he can, but it would be for the best if Sensei didn't take them into account. Anyway, there's a reason on why I called you here."

Naruto focused his eyes onto Jiraiya. The man's whole expression turned serious. "Well? Will I ever find out?" Naruto asked with a condescending tone.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes on Naruto and gave him a quick slap to the head. "Don't be so damn cheeky boy!"

Naruto rubbed the spot where he was hit. "Ow! That really hurts!"

Jiraiya shook his head in disappointment. "Naruto. Let me warn you. Be careful, not of your fight, but of everything else."

"What do ya mean with that?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya moved from his spot off the wall and started to walk away. "Like I said. Be careful of everything else."

Naruto watched Jiraiya walk away. "Will you watch my next match?" he asked, just before Jiraiya disappeared from his sights.

Jiraiya stopped. He turned his head. "I might," he said. He then walked further and left Naruto to himself in the corridor.

Naruto huffed depressingly.

 **Grumble!**

Naruto rubbed his stomach. It was aching in discomfort. He was hungry, has been since the aftermath of his fight with Lee. Naruto took out a storage scroll from his pouch and opened it up. Flowing chakra into a seal, he grabbed himself two of his brothers energy bars.

As he walked back to the Genin waiting room, he scoffed down the two bars and jugged down his refreshing bottle of cold water.

"Ah, that hit the sweet spot."

Naruto walked his way to the rails, where Neji and Gaara were also. They all began to watch the match below.

The match seemed to reach its climax. Naruto saw Shikamaru using his shadow jutsu on Temari, putting both their hands up.

"Oh, smart move Shikamaru. Making her give up, of course you would think of that," Naruto said. A grin appeared on his face. His friend was just about to win.

Naruto listened closely. He wanted to hear those three words to leave Temari's mouth.

Naruto saw Shikamaru smile. "I give up," he said.

All were shocked once they heard Shikamaru say this. Naruto the most, the victory was close at hand.

Genma focused his eyes on Shikamaru. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Naruto listened closely, he wanted a damn good reason on why Shikamaru decided to jump off the boat, he was so close to winning.

Shikamaru released his shadow passion jutsu and chuckled. "Even though I could have won. I have little to no chakra left. My next opponent would have been either Uchiha Sasuke or Sabaku no Gaara. Both who can easily overwhelm me, even if I had my full chakra. I rather retreat now rather than leave it to then," he said. "I thought of hundreds of different scenarios, and none of them lead to my victory."

Naruto thought about the words he said. He then laughed to himself. "That lazy bastard, he's just spinning a good story ttebayo. Low on chakra? Yeah right. Shikamaru just didn't want to try. I can't believe he's covering it up with fancy words."

"How pathetic," Naruto heard Neji say his piece on the matter. Even though his own opinion isn't far off it, Neji's statement pissed Naruto off.

Naruto watched Genma sigh, raising his hand and pointing it towards Temari. "Temari wins by forfeit."

The crowd booed from the announcement. They wanted a fierce battle again. One to get their blood pumping. However, there were a few that truly enjoyed that particular match. Slow and calculated, true planning. It was like a game of Shogi.

Naruto saw Shikamaru go towards the main stands, no doubt to go to Asuma. Naruto cracked his knuckles and made his way back to the main stand, Shikamaru was going to receive Naruto's complaints and Naruto is going to make sure he listened to every single one.

Naruto arrived at the main stand and went down the stairs. He saw Shikamaru talking to his brother and the group sitting down. He saw Ino giving him an earful already, Naruto decided that it would be best to postpone it. Most of the reasons she said were his in the first place.

Eventually, Ino cooled down, this was Naruto's chance to swoop in. "Low on chakra? My ass," Naruto said as he stood beside Shikamaru.

Shikamaru groaned. "Would everyone just leave it. I knew this was a pain from the very beginning. And… I don't care," he said.

Naruto gnashed his teeth. "Well you should care. Imagine how cool it would be if we did missions together," he said.

Shikamaru laughed at him. "If I went on a mission with you, I'll most likely get killed. No thank you," he yawned out.

The Genin with Haku and the Jōnin conversed between themselves. It was clear that everyone in the whole arena were getting restless. Some even resorted to shouting their dissatisfactions with crude words.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a worried voice.

Asuma sighed. "If Sasuke doesn't come soon, he'll get disqualified. That Gaara would pass to the final without fighting once. That'll be bad news for whoever wins between Naruto and Neji," he said.

"How do you know that?" Ino asked.

Asuma was about to answer but was cut off by Anko. "You can tell. I could from the first moment I laid eyes on that Suna team before the second exam. That Temari girl will forfeit the match, leaving Gaara to go to the final round without lifting a finger," she said. "He's the leader of their pack."

Kurenai hummed to herself. "The best thing for us to do would be to somehow postpone the match," she said.

"Sasuke will come. He wouldn't ditch this, he's wanted to fight the strongest in a long time," Naruto said to the group.

"If he doesn't come, what can we do Naruto?" Asuma asked.

Nico, listening to all this, was surprised that Sasuke hadn't arrived yet. It was a match she was also looking forward to. The Chūnin exams were giving her ideas to implant into the Underworld. She needed to watch more to help with her future plans.

Her eyes turned to Kotero, who was thinking hard. "What're you thinking up there?" she asked, poking her finger against his temple.

Kotero exhaled through his nose. "I think I have an idea," he said. "It should work, after all he's loves me with all heis heart."

"Oh? Don't keep us waiting," Nico said.

Kotero stood from his seat, ignoring Nico's question and looked at Naruto with a passive expression. "Naruto, how're you feeling? Do you think you could fight right now?" he asked.

Naruto nodded with a big smile, giving Kotero a thumbs up. "I can fight whenever! But what about Sasuke?"

Kotero grinned at Naruto. "Don't worry about him. We got this."

* * *

 **Kage's Balcony**

Hiruzen groaned as he heard more and more of the uproars of the audience. They were acting like children, they didn't get what they wanted, so now they're throwing a tantrum. The only difference was that the vast majority paid good money for these fights, and they weren't delivering the goods.

Hiruzen put up his right hand, making Raidō bow down to him. "Is there any update?" he asked.

Raidō shook his head. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. But there has been no update. And the five-minute extension period you gave for the fight is already up."

Hiruzen gritted his teeth. This day was supposed to go smoothly, yet they hit quite the road bump. "I have no choice, but I must disqualify Uchiha Sasuke," he said.

Terumī Mei sighed heavily from the words. "That is a great shame. I was quite excited about that fight," she said. "Hopefully I will see him fight soon enough."

"Hokage-sama, could you hold off on disqualifying Uchiha Sasuke?" the Kazekage asked.

Raidō, Mei, Zabuza and Ao turned their heads with the Hokage to look at the Kazekage.

Ao scoffed at the words. "Any ninja who shows up late to an examination is pitiful. He shouldn't be promoted to Chūnin whatsoever. It doesn't matter on status or skill, this is disrespect in the highest regard."

Mei patted Ao's arm to calm him down. "Despite what Ao said, I must agree. He had the benefit of being the last of the first rounds and a five-minute extension. This has gone on long enough," she said. "We're all saddened but we must move on."

The Kazekage chuckled to himself. "Try explaining that to the ninja and the various Daimyō. They're spending their time here to see that match. As well as am I. It would be bad if they were to be disappointed. Right, Hokage-sama? It would certainly put a damper on your economy," he said.

Hiruzen grunted with a hint of anger. Rasa, the Kazekage, was truly getting on his nerves. "It would be unfair to the other competitors. Neji has only just finished his fight, and Naruto is recovering from his intense bout with Lee. I'm sorry Kazekage-dono, I have my hands tied," he said.

 **WHISH!**

A flash appeared in front of all three Kage. It was a ninja. Crimson hair, deep purple eyes.

"Kotero, what are you doing up here?" Hiruzen asked with surprise. He didn't expect to see his favourite redhead come up here at all.

Kotero was kneeling in front of the Kage with respect. His head popped up and he looked at Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama," he said, "The audience have grown overwhelmingly frustrated with the lack of Sasuke. I know it's not my place to ask this, but could you postpone his fight and let Naruto fight now," Kotero asked.

Hiruzen chewed on his pipe. It would solve two problems with one stone. "Is Naruto fine with this? Neji seemed unfazed and in near perfect condition after his fight with Shino. This could be a disadvantage for Naruto."

Kotero nodded a yes. "Naruto is more than willing to go forward with this. He and his fellow Genin want it to happen, I am just the messenger in this," he said. His words were crisp and polite. Kotero shuddered to think on what would happen if Sasuke wasn't allowed fight. Not just from the angry crowds, but also from Naruto and the other Genin.

Hiruzen nodded. "You know this is asking for a lot. What do you think standard procedure is?" he asked.

Kotero wryly smiled at Hiruzen. "Sasuke should have been disqualified already. But there is clearly more benefits for Konoha if we wait it out. Also, whoever wins this fight will have two fights to watch and recuperate. As with everything Hokage-sama, the final decision is with you and I will support it, no matter the consequences."

Mei smiled. "You have a fine shinobi here, Hokage-sama. I wouldn't mind taking him off your hands if it's not too much trouble," she said with a laugh.

Hiruzen chuckled, despite the tense atmosphere of the arena, he was in a calm mood. "I would never get rid of this fine gentlemen. He is Konoha's and that's final. Now, do you agree with this Kazekage-dono?" Hiruzen asked.

Rasa nodded his head. "I do."

"And what about you Mizukage-dono?" Hiruzen asked.

Mei nodded as well. "I do as well. And to watch Naruto-kun again will be a treat of itself. However, myself and my lovely guards here would be dissatisfied if Uchiha Sasuke did not receive some punishment or penalty because of this absurd lateness," she said seriously.

Hiruzen nodded. "I am well aware of that. Both Kakashi and Sasuke will receive some punishment. Kakashi promised me that he and Sasuke will be here on time when I last spoke to him. I hate it when he lies," he said. "Kotero."

"Yes Hokage-sama," Kotero said.

"Go down to Genma and tell him to announce that there will be another five-minute period and then we will go to round five. Can you do that for me?" he asked.

Kotero nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama. I will take my leave now."

Kotero disappeared via a body-flicker. The tension between the major leaders grew once again.

"That ninja supposed to have two swords on him? That was in his profile information in the Iwa bingo book," Rasa asked.

Mei focused her eyes on the Kazekage. "Why would Kotero-kun need to bring his weapons to a spectacle such as this?" she asked. The Kazekage has been saying strange things all day, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

The Kazekage shook his head. "A ninja must always be aware and ready for any situation. That is a sacred rule to all of us," he said. "Maybe the 'Crimson Leaf' is too big-headed? A fool of sorts?" he asked.

Hiruzen shook his head. "Kotero doesn't need his swords. He's dangerous enough without weapons," he said.

The Kazekage laughed. "Just like younger in the fight before. These Uzumaki, these are the 'Children of Storm' that survived. Fascinating, isn't it?" he said.

"Are you trying to insinuate something Kazekage-sama?" Mei asked. The man has been making her uneasy.

"No. Nothing at all."

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Stands**

"Look. Kotero-san is talking to him," Sakura said energetically.

The others watched as Kotero whispered into Genma's ear. They nodded to each other afterwards, then Kotero disappeared and left Genma to himself.

Kotero reappeared to the group and retook his seat beside Nico and Haku. He yawned once he got comfortable.

Genma coughed into his hand before speaking. "An announcement to be made. Round four will be postponed," he said to the crowds.

" **BOO!** " the crowds shouted. They were angry, they wanted to watch that match now.

"Jeez," Genma said to himself, muttering under his breath. "Because of this, round five will proceed ahead of schedule. The match will take place in five minutes."

The crowds calmed down. It seemed that some were going off to make new bets on Naruto's next match.

"Looks like Kakashi-sensei owes you big time now Nii-chan," Naruto said. "You really saved him and Sasuke."

Kotero nodded. "That's one of the reasons why I did it. Also, Sasuke is your friend. You wanted him to fight, so I had to help you out there my sweet little brother," he said. "That's my job as your Nii-chan."

Asuma blew out some of his smoke. "Now let's hope that they come. Kotero would look like a right fool if they didn't after going to the Kage," he said.

Anko laughed. "He looks like a fool all the time anyway. He can't help it with that face of his," she said.

Kotero shook his head and decided to ignore the woman. He will get his sweet revenge but not now.

Shikamaru whistled and placed his hands behind his head. "The guy is about to lose his chance of promotion."

"I'll fight in his place if he doesn't come!" Kiba said loudly.

Kurenai shook her head and sighed. "Kiba, that's not how things work."

Kiba growled. "But it's not fair, he's not here and I want to be a Chūnin. They should just give me the chance."

"But Kiba-kun. You would have to fight Gaara then… I don't want you to die," Hinata said. "Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun are probably the only ones who could fight him evenly," she said.

Kiba bared his teeth. She was right. He knew he couldn't fight regardless, but to go against Gaara would be suicide.

Kiba went back to his seat and sat down with a mighty huff.

"What's your plan to defeat Hyūga Neji, Naruto-kun," Haku asked.

Nico turned her head to the blond. "Yeah, I was wondering that as well," she said. "A smart kid like you should have plenty up his sleeve."

Naruto stuck out his tongue to them before grinning. "As if I'll tell you guys. Just watch me and you'll find out," he said.

"Naruto don't be so cheeky," Kotero said. "Now go, five minutes is not a long time. The crowd is waiting for this match to start. I had to pull a lot of strings for this to happen, so you better be thankful."

"I am Nii-chan. I'm so thankful!" Naruto said before disappearing away by running to the corridor.

Asuma turned his head with a pinched nose and narrowed eyes. "You had to pull lots of strings?" he asked with confusion.

Kotero shook his head and laughed. "No, but he doesn't know that," he said. "But if it means I can get him to do more chores around the house, then I'll take any opportunity that comes my way."

"That's not very nice Kotero-san," Haku said.

Kotero pouted his lips at her. "It's fun though."

Kotero heard the murmurs of words to his right. He turned his head to see Nico with her arms crossed, staring between himself and Naruto. She was focusing on the interactions they had with the others around them.

"This would have been nice," Nico mumbled under her breath.

"What would have been nice?" Kotero asked. He saw that she looked depressed. She hid most of it well but her facial expressions revealed it all. She was remembering something from her past. Kotero has never met someone strong in his life who has never had a tough and hard past. Nico was no different.

Nico shook her head. "If I had this in my village. Before we split ways. The connections, the fun. A place to belong to. I always felt lost, not wanted," she said with a saddened expression. Her eyes instantly turned tough. "You will keep that between you and me."

Kotero put his hands up in a surrender gesture. "Of course. We're friends. I won't say that to anyone," he said.

"Promise?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "I promise," Kotero said. "You can tell me anything and I'll keep my mouth shut. I don't want you to hurt me."

Nico stayed quiet before she started to laugh. It was a good laugh, Kotero saw her smile with it. "If I told you everything, I would have to kill you," she said. Her laughter suddenly died, and she stared into his eyes. "I'm dead serious."

Kotero gulped and slowly looked away to the battlegrounds. "Let's drop this for now and enjoy Naruto's next fight, yeah?"

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Battleground**

Naruto walks down to the Arena battlegrounds. In the distance, he sees Genma and Hyūga Neji waiting for him. Once his foot touched the dirt ground, the crowds started to roar.

 **NA-RU-TO! NA-RU-TO!** **NA-RU-TO!**

Naruto heard them all call out his name in synch. It was crazy, it made his heart beat faster, the adrenaline in him pumped harder. This was already a day to remember, it didn't need to be more eventful, but it certainly got to be.

Naruto made his way to his spot for battle. The tension was growing. The crowd were cheering. Naruto focused on Neji, who seemed to be staring right at him.

"If ya got something to say, say it," Naruto said. "Better to get it off your chest then leave it inside."

Neji narrowed his eyes, his arms were crossed. "It's pitiful. It is your fate to lose."

Naruto tilted his head. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, you were pitted against me. You and Lee were destined to lose. I will win this, you must be fatigued to the core, my eyes can see that. And I know my Byakugan's power, with it I can't be defeated," Neji said. "You're in the shadow of your clan's past and brother's feats."

Naruto clenched his fist and pointed it at Neji. His eyes were determined and showed that he held back his irritation. "I'm telling you, right here and right now, Kotero-Nii and my clan have nothing to do with this. This is about just you and me, Hyūga Neji. So, let me show you your defeat by my hands. I will win!" Naruto said.

Neji smirked. "Oh? That statement just makes all of this even better. When I show you true reality, I will enjoy seeing it. Your whimpering spirit, your discouraged eyes."

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Stands**

"Hm. That older boy sure has a loud mouth," Nico said, resting her chin her palm. "He seems unfazed despite that Naruto is the favourite of the crowd. Though I'm not surprised about Naruto, he is my favourite out of the Genin shown. Makes sense that everyone has a similar opinion."

Anko laughed. She stretched back her arms and pushed her fingers up towards the ceiling. A wicked smile was on her face.

Nico narrowed her eyes at Anko. "What's so funny Dango girl?" she asked with a growl.

Anko shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing too funny. Just love seeing people who think they're all high and mighty when they're really not," she said while ending her words with a sly grin.

Nico's eyes darkened, the air around her chilled. She started to stand up slowly, while clenching her fists.

Kotero grabbed her wrist and made her sit back down. "Calm down. Just ignore her and let's enjoy the match together, ok?" he said, hoping she doesn't go any further. He had no idea if he could hold down an outraged kunoichi such as herself.

Nico pulled her wrist away and crossed her arms under her chest. She slumped back to the chair with a huff.

"Women," Asuma said under his breath. Asuma gulped and looked to his left to see Kurenai glaring at him. He shook his head and turned back to the match.

"Who do you think is going to win Shikamaru?" Chōji asked. Chōji was excited for this match, just like the last. He opened another bag of crisps and started eating it. His body shivered from the amazing flavour, Barbeque Pork. This was the perfect combination, a tasty snack and great entertainment. He couldn't ask for anything better.

Shikamaru looked between Naruto and Neji. "Naruto. Naruto will win this," he said. His words were filled with confidence.

"How are you so sure Shikamaru?" Ino asked.

Shikamaru yawned, his last match had made him tired. "I don't know too much about the Hyūga's Gentle Fist,but I know that Neji has to physically hit Naruto. Naruto has jutsu and his staff, he can attack from mid to long ranges. That's a huge advantage."

"So, as long as Naruto doesn't get too close, he should win, yes?" Sakura asked.

"It's not that simple," Haku said. All the Genin looked at the older girl with curious eyes. "From what I know, the Gentle Fist is all about closing tenketsu points to immobilise your opponent. From Rock Lee-san's Eight Inner Gates, it was him opening specific tenketsu points to boost all of his abilities. Naruto-kun is now fighting the total opposite of his last match."

"You got all of that from just observing those two matches?" Kurenai asked her. Herself and the rest of the group bar one person, were surprised that Haku could anaylise so well to such an extent.

Kotero wrapped his arm around Haku and smiled. "See!? Didn't I tell you that Haku-chan was someone really smart and strong. She's going to be a Jōnin in no time back in Kiri. I just know it."

Haku blushed from the compliment. "Thank you, Kotero-san, that means a lot," she said.

Kotero pulled himself off and got himself comfortable back in his chair. "No bother. Only stating the truth. Now, let us finally watch this match and enjoy it together."

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Battleground**

' _Let's test the waters before I do anything… crazy,_ ' Naruto thought. His eyes were completely focused on Neji. Both Genin were in their taijutsu stances. The match was about to start.

Genma chews on his senbon. He looks at Neji and then Naruto. "Looks like you're both ready. Begin!" he called.

The audience cheered loudly once the word was said. However, it quickly died down and silence took over. Neither Naruto or Neji made a move yet.

Naruto felt sweat drip down his forehead. The hot sun was directly above him. He knew it as soon as he set foot onto the ground, this fight was going to be astronomically different from his last.

' _Neji didn't show too much in his fight with Shino. He was never pressured. All I know is that_ _ **Kaiten**_ _move and his series of attacks that make up with sixty-four hits in total. Does Neji have any jutsu? His Byakugan can clearly see me and my chakra. I can't trick him like I did with Kiba in the preliminaries. If I get too close, he has the chance of stopping all my movements ttebayo. This is tough,_ ' Naruto thought.

Naruto inhaled through his nose and then closed his eyes. He opened them and locked onto Neji. Crouching forward, Naruto sent chakra to his legs, mainly his quads, hamstrings and calves. He felt the pressure build of chakra grow in each muscle group.

At that moment, he launched from his position and appeared in front of Neji with a right fist ready to punch him straight in the face.

Neji moved to his left and pushed away Naruto's arm. Naruto, seeing that the punch missed, kept his punch going forward. Opening his fist, Naruto placed it on the ground. Naruto placed his other hand on the ground as well, he then let his feet go into the air. Naruto rotated his body and launched a spin kick onto Neji.

The crowd cheered after witnessing the acrobatic display. The match has now truly begun.

Neji jumped back to gain some distance. Naruto slowed down his spinning and used his arms to spring back to his feet, landing on the spot where he was just at.

The two Genin stared down at each other. Since Naruto launched the attack, he lost this battle. But Naruto knew he would win the war.

Naruto ran towards Neji again, getting ready to strike him once more. Naruto came to Neji and spun with pace on his right foot, aiming for a left back heel kick to hit Neji's head. It carried a lot of speed and strength. A clean contact would most likely ensure a knockout.

Naruto was realising how great Neji's eyes really were. Neji leaned back, just enough that his chin was mere millimetres away from the sole of Naruto's blue shinobi sandals.

Naruto ended his spin kick and landed his foot flat. His body was facing Neji's. Naruto's eyes widened once Neji was in his personal space. Thinking fast, Naruto dug his hand into his holster.

Neji flattened his hand and aimed it for Naruto's chest. He released a chakra blast just before Naruto's sternum. Naruto felt it and grunted. It seemed that the padding on his chest took the brunt of the damage as the connection wasn't accurate. He'll worry about the damage to it later, right now he had to get rid of Neji.

Neji formed a clawed left hand and arched it to Naruto's right upper trapezius muscle. Neji was aiming for Naruto's tenketsu point there.

Naruto spun a kunai in his right hand and launched it up towards Neji's face. It was a killing move, but the Gentle fist was just as dangerous. An eye for an eye in these cases.

Neji saw Naruto spin the kunai before he even launched it. Neji, knowing that death would do him no good, pulled back his head and left arm. He narrowly dodged the kunai, this time not on purpose, Naruto truly could have killed him there. A short-range throw gives you very little time to react. Neji was a cut above the hide however, he saw through the quick reaction plan.

Neji somersaulted back once and was a close distance to the wall now. He didn't know if this was Naruto's plan. He hasn't seen anything yet to suggest that Naruto could trap him with the use of the wall. Neji cooled down and breathed slowly. He believed he would be the victor and fate will serve its justice. All he had to do was stay calm and keep his beliefs strong.

Naruto chewed on his lower lip. Fighting Lee was a lot easier in the thinking department. It was more of a punch here and a kick somewhere there. With Neji, Naruto had to remember that every spot on his body was vulnerable with Neji's use of the Gentle Fist.

Naruto didn't want to rely on the Kyūbi again if he really had to. Although the strongest of the nine bijū gave Naruto such amazing power, Naruto knew that there must be some price. He didn't feel any pain after the chakra dissipated in his fight with Lee. And the pain he felt while using it was only because of the incredible rush it had flowing inside his chakra coils, it was quite soothing once Naruto had it all in control. The chakra gave Naruto a great exhilarating feeling in his fight with Lee. He did want to use it again, to feel that rush once more.

' _It must affect my seal…'_ Naruto thought. It was the only conclusion that made sense to him. It also explained why the Kyūbi was so eager to let Naruto use its chakra the second time Naruto asked to use it. ' _That sly fox!'_

Naruto felt a warm and sark sensation deep within him. Identical to the one he felt in the hospital a month prior.

The only way to defeat Neji now was to make him move around and screw up. A big explosive attack right now could defeat the famed Hyūga prodigy, however it wouldn't score any style points for Naruto.

Naruto made the cross hand seal and moulded his chakra. Performing the **Shadow Clone Jutsu** , five clones appeared. Naruto saw Neji's eyes widened. He knew how the shadow clones worked.

Large portions of chakra in six separate bodies would confuse any ninja. Neji, having never encountered this, was looking between each Naruto, to see which one was the real one. The large puff of chakra smoke that appeared in front of the original Naruto could have allowed the original and the clones to switch places.

Neji stared at the new bodies, his face showed his surprise from the technique. He then closed his eyes and shook his head. "No matter. It won't change the result."

Neji moved his body to a more defensive fighting stance. He was ready for all of them.

Two of the Naruto clones ran from their spot and closed down the distance between Neji in quick timing. One Naruto performed a leg sweep while the other aimed a back-heel kick to Neji's ribs.

Having trained in the art of taijutsu for his whole life, Neji on instinct jumped low from the leg sweep, stretching his shoulders back towards the ground, the heel kick missed him. He then landed on his hands. Swinging his two legs in separate directions he quickly took care of the two shadow clones.

Neji returned to his feet and saw the three other Naruto clones in a triangle formation around him. The numbers seemed to give him a disadvantage.

Neji decided to take things into his own hands. He changed his defensive fighting stance to his offensive stance and focused to the Naruto in front of him. Neji dashed to the Naruto and started his attack.

The shadow clone Naruto saw Neji's hands and arms move with speed. His index and middle fingers stayed together in a straight while his other fingers were bent and folded. Naruto deduced this was the proper technique for the Gentle fist.

The shadow clone Naruto tried his best to escape Neji's barrage of attacks. He needed help.

The two other shadow clones took out shuriken, they both had six in their hands. Not taking a second longer, both shadow clones threw their shurikens at Neji in sync.

Neji's byakugan allowed him to see the twelve projectiles come his way. Thinking quick, he jumped back from the Naruto he was fighting and started to spin hard to his left. Pouring out chakra, he formed a hemisphere of chakra.

" **Kaiten!** " Neji shouted as his technique formed to its full size. The **Kaiten** destroyed the Naruto he was fighting just before. All the shuriken that were thrown had hit the **Kaiten**. Neji used his skill with the technique to spray the shuriken back at the Naruto shadow clones.

The two Naruto shadow clones looked at each other before the shuriken came their way. They shared eye contact, then they nodded to each other.

The two Naruto shadow clones were pierced from head to toe with shuriken. Their bodies disappeared since they were killing blows.

Neji looked around the battleground. Naruto was nowhere to be seen. He refocused his byakugan and searched the area.

There were traces of chakra everywhere. Neji noticed that the surface of the ground has been covered with his, Lee's, Naruto's, Shikamaru's, Shino's and Temari's. A rock on the far side practically was coated in Naruto's chakra. There was however one large pocket of chakra identical to Naruto's ten metres away from him. The large body of chakra was just an inch underground.

Neji appeared just a metre away from the body of chakra. He assumed that it was more likely than not Naruto, but he wasn't naïve not to do some research on his potential opponent. Uzumaki Naruto, the "Prankster King" and "Prankster from Hell" was well known for his devious tricks around Konoha. A good skill to have in the Ninja world.

Neji was cautious of the chakra in front of him, it looked like Naruto and it was his chakra. However, since the shadow clones have entered the battle, he has been vigilant of any blond ninja he saw.

Neji placed his hand on the ground. A large blast came from his palm. A dust cloud formed and hovered above the battleground.

 **CRACK! PUFF!**

"What the!?" Neji said as his eye's widened.

Naruto appeared and jumped through the ground in front of him, breaking through the crust of the ground, going towards the wall away from Neji. With his three-sixty degree vision, Neji's byakugan saw the rock that only just caught his interest was in fact a transformation. A puff of smoke appeared there with Naruto in tow.

Both Naruto's threw a shuriken each once they were a lengthy distance away from Neji. Both of them started to weave through eight hand seals, starting with Ox and ending it with Tiger.

A hundred shuriken appeared out of thin air all around the two shuriken thrown. Two hundred shuriken were aimed at Neji in total. Naruto performed the **Shadow Shuriken Replication Jutsu** to overwhelm Neji.

The two large groups of shuriken made their way to Neji. There was no conceivable way for Neji to take them all down with the conventional methods.

Spinning hard to the left once more, Neji released his chakra through every tenketsu point on his body to perform the **Kaiten**. Neji had to keep up his technique as the shuriken were flying at him from different distances.

As the shuriken had hit the hemisphere of chakra, they deflected and hit the ground, eventually puffing into smoke.

Neji could feel that the shuriken barrage was over. He slowed down his **Kaiten** , moving slower and slower. His eyes eventually laid onto what must be the original Naruto, who was weaving quickly through hand seals. His final one was Dog. Neji saw Naruto's chest expand greatly.

Neji freaked as he was deceived from Naruto. The shuriken were only a distraction from the real attack. Neji saw the jutsu before, in Lee's match, it was Naruto's **Wind Release: Great Breakthrough**.

Seeing that Naruto started to blow out a fierce stream of dense wind, Neji decided there was only one way to protect himself. He started to spin fast once again.

Naruto, as in his last fight, leaned forward and pulled back his left arm to focus his attack. It was powerful.

His eyes widened when he saw his wind warp with Neji's technique again. He was using his. **Kaiten** to negate Naruto's jutsu.

' _What the hell!? He should be out of chakra! That's the third time he used it today, how much chakra does Neji have!?'_ Naruto thought as his jutsu dissipated.

Naruto watched as Neji slowed down once again. Naruto's eyes saw Neji breathe hard, the technique he used must have used a lot of chakra. Naruto didn't want to use much more in this match. He didn't know how much he will need for his final fight. However, his gut knew that either opponent would be tougher than Neji, he would need as much chakra as possible.

"This farce has been going on for far too long. I will end this now," Neji said. "You are in range of my divination."

"Huh? Range of your divination?" Naruto said. His face then grew a wild grin. His right hand did a 'Come here' gesture. "Bring it on already!"

' _I'll take the hit. And I'll give 'im something stronger._ '

Neji moved his body to a new stance. Naruto knew it was the same one that Neji used in his match against Shino. " **Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four strikes** ," Neji said.

Naruto calmed his breathing and waited for Neji to come to him. Pulling his sleeves up to reveal all the skin on his arms, his plan was nearly ready to go, he saw Neji preparing himself. Naruto only had a few moments left before the other attacks.

Naruto took out his Wakizashi blade, Silver, with his right hand and sliced open his left palm. The whole audience as well as Neji wondered why Naruto did such a thing.

Naruto threw Silver up to the air, so it just hung above his head. He then covered all his finger tips with his fresh leaking blood. In a flash, he drew intricate symbols all over his arms. As Naruto finished with his left arm after starting with his right, he nabbed Silver from the air and watched Neji dash towards him. Neji was now on the assault. For both of them, this was the deciding moment of their fight.

" **Two strikes!** " Neji called out as he hit two of Naruto's tenketsu points.

Naruto grunted but still felt good. ' _I thought it would be more of a tickle, hehe guess not,_ ' he thought quickly.

" **Four strikes!** " Neji called out as hit four of Naruto's tenketsu points. A total of six were now closed.

Naruto felt the pain. It was a strange feeling, like a hot needle stabbing you but quickly becoming a numbing sensation.

' _Now is the time to begin. Neji is in his groove. It's now time to end this,'_ Naruto thought, his wild grin still present, showing everyone that he was in control of the battle. Enjoying the hard battle that he was in.

Naruto moved as Neji moved, the latter was surprised. Neji thought that Naruto would already be immobilised from his special strikes. Naruto came into Neji's personal space with speed. Neji's eyes widened when Naruto arrived, he was so close to him and in such a short time. He had completely forgot in the moment of the Uzumaki's tricky fighting style of tricking your oppenents. Naruto unleashed his maximum speed for the perfect moment to end things.

Naruto knew during one's ultimate attack leaves them with their ultimate defence.

Naruto swung Silver up and hit Neji's forehead protector. The forehead protector came off easily. It flew high into the air.

Neji gritted his teeth, his attack has lost form as his focus as changed drastically. "No! My cursed seal!" he said.

Naruto reversed gripped Silver, he then threw his short sword towards Neji's left foot. The short sword went straight through Neji's shinobi sandal and flesh, it eventually stopped when it wedged itself into the ground.

Neji groaned in terrible pain. He jerked back and gritted his teeth hard, to distract himself from the aching agony.

Neji felt both his hands become interlaced with another pair. He looked and saw Naruto gripping both of his hands hard. To most of the audience, their position was similar to the game of Mercy.

"What are you doing?" Neji had to ask. This was not the fight he expected at all.

Naruto sighed. "This fight is over. I have you now, I'm going to beat you," he said.

Neji became frustrated. "This is not how it's supposed to go. Only those who can succeed have talent when they're born. You were the norm. The average. I was born in the Hyūga clan, I was the top of my class," he said.

Naruto laughed lightly. "Yeah, many would think that. But there's a fine line between the prodigies and the hard workers. I think you know that better than anyone. Fuzzy Eyebrows proves that!" he said.

"It was his fate to lose," Neji countered.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm no wise kid but let me tell you something straight, fate is nothing. It has no meaning in this world, the world of shinobi we live in. If it was, you would only be fighting against it, wouldn't ya?" he asked.

Neji scoffed at Naruto. "Fighting against it!? You don't know what is like to be branded with a seal. You don't know how it feels to be worthless," Neji said.

Naruto laughed, making Neji stare at him. "Branded with a seal? You and I are similar there Neji. I learnt about your clan's seal a long time ago. That Bird Cage seal. Trapping your free will, yeah… I know that feeling.

You know, my power, that deadly power I know you saw me use against Fuzzy Eyebrows, the people are scared of it. They fear me. Do you know how that feels? No. You don't know. But, we both felt worthless, that's why we're strong. We fought through our demons to become the ninja we are today."

Naruto gripped harder on Neji's hands and turned both of their arms. He then spat out some blood to his side, Neji's previous strikes didn't go out without some effect.

"I'm not going to be your Sensei. Fuzzier Brows avoided your problems, let them go out of control ttebayo. You are only holding yourself back. Look at me now, I was a dumb numbskull idiot who didn't know my right from my left only a few years back. It changed. Someone came and gave me guidance, showed me the way on how to be a better person. My bestest friend. You need that now. A friend, a new light. Let me be your friend, let me help you," Naruto said.

Naruto exhaled heavily and refocused his eyes on Neji. "Your darkness will only end your life, but it could hurt the ones that love you. Like your cousin Hinata," Naruto said. He saw Neji's eyes widen, all his beliefs were being questioned. He was reforming.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji stuttered.

Naruto sighed. "You're one tough bastard. But, like you said, this match was over once I saw your whimpering spirit, your discouraged eyes. I'm ending this now," he said.

Naruto flowed chakra through his arms. The blood patterns started to glow and move their way to Neji's arms, slowly but surely. The end has finally come.

"What is this?" Neji asked. He has never seen this before.

Naruto grinned. "This is your end. A short-time immobilising seal. The seals will enter your chakra network and shut you completely off for ten minutes. The way I did it wasn't supposed to be done in battle like this, but who cares?" he said with some enjoyment. "Prepare to go to sleep soon Neji."

As soon as all the blood markings left Naruto's arms and entered Neji's system, Neji spasmed around, only keeping in his place due to Naruto and him locking hands and the blade through his left foot keeping him to the ground.

In an act of last second resistance, Neji started to kick Naruto's body with his right leg and knee. Hitting everywhere from the rips to the sides of the legs. However, every strike became weaker and weaker. Naruto didn't move from his spot, this was the end.

Neji's byakugan deactivated by itself. He was losing control of his body. Everything seemed to become fuzzier, hollow and far away to him now. The immobilising seal was truly working to haywire his senses and chakra.

"After all this. After this Chūnin exam. Come to the Uzumaki residence and we can talk about all this," Neji heard before his vision disappeared and darkness took over.

Neji collapsed to the floor with Naruto standing over his. Naruto's left palm was bleeding still, as well as Neji's left foot. Naruto took out Silver from the left foot and put the blade back in its holster.

Naruto looked at his left palm and watched it slowly stich itself back together. The reason it was healing so quickly was most likely due to the Kyūbi's chakra residue in Naruto's chakra system. The healing factor from the Kyūbi was simply incredible.

Genma knelt on the ground to inspect Neji. Sighing heavily Genma stood up after he saw that he was out for the count. He raised his hand and then pointed it to Naruto.

"Winner of round five, Uzumaki Naruto!" Genma said, loud enough so the whole crowd could hear.

 **NA-RU-TO! NA-RU-TO!** **NA-RU-TO!**

The crowd cheered out his name once again. Naruto smiled and waved at the crowds. He blew kisses at everyone he could see. The crowds were going wild for the blond ninja.

Two medical nin came with a gurney. Naruto saw them take off Neji's sandal and apply first aid to his left foot. Once it was in satisfactory condition, Naruto saw them place Neji on the gurney and move towards the infirmary.

Naruto eyes grew worried. Did he go too far with that sealing technique? He didn't know, but he had to leave it in the past now. The crowds were cheering for him, Naruto shouldn't be disrespectful and ignore them.

Naruto gave Genma a nod before leaving the battlegrounds and heading towards the main stands. As he walked he waved to the crowds with a bright smile.

* * *

 **Konoha Arena Stands**

' _I'm sure they have plenty of stuff to say,_ ' Naruto thought with a sigh. Despite winning two of his matches, he could foresee either Kotero or Shikamaru talking nonsense about his strategies used in that match. The two loved to badmouth Naruto whenever they had the chance. It was all in good fun, but Naruto couldn't say that it didn't annoy him from time to time.

Naruto eventually made his way towards the main stands. He walked down the steps to where the group was. Seeing them, Naruto made himself known to the group. Smiling faces were made when they all saw him.

"What'd you guys think of that?" Naruto asked as he showed off a happy grin.

"What was that!?" Sakura said in wonder. "You never did anything like that before!"

Ino agreed by nodding quickly.

Kotero sighed and patted both girl's heads, annoying them."You two young ladies should shut your little mouths. A shinobi must keep some secrets to themselves. Besides that Naruto, it was very entertaining to say the least," he said smiling. He then removed his hands and went back to his seat. "I wonder what you said to Neji there. You broke his spirit. His eyes said as much."

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded. His eyes focused on his brother. "Yeah, I did. I had to destroy it to win."

"Yes, you did. And I'm sure Gai is happy that you did that. Isn't that right… Gai?" Kotero said as his head turned more to the stairs, seeing Maito Gai walk down them slowly. Kotero stood up from the seat to look at the man.

Naruto and the others turned their heads to see Gai appear. The man looked depressed, not only did both of his students lose, but one showed that he was not fulfilling his duty as a good Sensei.

Gai turned his head and stared at Naruto with questioning eyes. Almost as if he was trying to find some great answer within Naruto's aura.

Gai exhaled heavily through his nose, and then shook his head side to side. His eyes turned kind. "Yes Kotero-san. Where did things go wrong?" he asked himself.

"Did things go wrong though? This could be the new start of your team's future. All three have potential," Kotero said. "Two of them have already impressed many. What will be, will be. You can't change the past. Focus on the future, make all three of your relationships grow stronger."

Gai listened to the words and nodded slowly. "Thank you for the words."

Kotero shook his head. "I only stated the truth. It's what you do with it that'll matter in the long run. The others agree here, Gai, you're a great Sensei and a wonderful Jōnin. Just be you, and deal with these problems head on. The Hyūga clan might get mad with you interfering but it'll be better for Neji."

Gai sighed depressingly, something that did not fit his usual character at all. "What would you do Asuma?" Gai asked.

Asuma tapped the end of his cigarette and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'd just talk to my students about their problems. I never had to deal with what you're dealing with now," he said.

Gai nodded. "I just wanted to make everything joyful, fun and youthful. To raise his spirits because of his gloomy past," he said.

Kotero rested his hands on his hips. "There's still time. You saw it with your own two eyes today, Neji is questioning his past views."

"Don't worry!" Naruto interrupted. Everyone turned their eyes to the short blond. "Neji and me are friends now. I'll help him out!" he said.

Gai smiled at Naruto. "I now see why Lee was so excited to fight you Naruto-kun. Those eyes, that spirit… You're strong, physically and mentally. The power of Youth is strong within you," he said.

"To see your two students be beaten by the same Genin, when they are older and more experienced as well. That must hurt though," Nico said to Gai. She had only joined the conversation. "Losing like that, it says a lot of their Sensei."

Kotero groaned at her words. He wondered if she was trying to stir up some trouble.

"Gai, this is my friend Nico. She's from the Capital. Don't pay too much mind, she can be a huge pain in the ass a lot of the times," Kotero said. His head moved to the woman to see she was giving him a frightful glare. Kotero shook his head at her and lightly laughed, it was all fun and games, wasn't it?

Gai looked at the white-haired woman with a sad smile. "No, Nico-san is right. But, I'm glad that Lee and Neji lost to Naruto-kun. He was the perfect opponent for both. He is clearly the superior shinobi in these exams. Despite his lack of experience and his short career, Naruto-kun is an exceptional Genin. It shouldn't surprise me though, his brother and Kakashi were his mentors," he said. "The youth in him gives me hope."

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, Fuzzier Brows Sensei, I did all the hard work. All they did was relax and pamper themselves," he said cheekily.

The group laughed apart from one. Naruto could feel two purple eyes bore into the side of his head.

Anko yawned and stretched her back. "Now the only match we have to wait for is that kid's match, Sasuke's match," she said, cracking her neck.

Chatter grew among Sakura and Ino, worrying over the hidden Sasuke.

Naruto growled under his breath. "I've done everything I could, and he still hasn't come."

"Calm down Naruto-kun," Haku said. "You need to relax before your final match."

Naruto sighed. "You don't say. I know that already, I just don't want him to get kicked out ttebayo. It'll be annoying if he doesn't fight. I'm sure I have to hear him whine about it later," he said.

"Maybe so, maybe not," Shikamaru said. "You could get promoted and change teams."

Naruto ran his fingers through his hair. "I almost forgot about that. But, I'm sure Kakashi-sensei would want me to still go on missions with him and Sakura."

"No. You will put to work on harder missions," Asuma said, butting in. "That only happens under special circumstances. They'll just replace you with another Genin. Or we might have to change teams up."

Kotero sat back down and grunted. Looking at Naruto, he gave him a slight smile. "You want that, right? Hopefully we'll get to do a mission together. Just you and I," he said. "I think it'll be nice."

Naruto smiled at the future prospect. It was one of his short term goals.

The audience grew sick of waiting. Their patience was wearing thin. There could be a serious brawl soon between the more drunk attenders. The general consensus was that it's a disgrace that the match has been put off for so long.

Kurenai shook her head in disappointment. "It is just like Kakashi to be this late," she said.

"Something could have happened to him or his student," Anko said. "And we are just kept in the dark."

"Nah," Kotero blurted out. "Kakashi is strong, and Sasuke is not shabby at all. They should be here. They have to be."

Naruto rubbed his chin. "If they should be here, then why aren't they here? If something happened to them, then it would explain why they haven't arrived."

Kotero rolled his eyes. "I thought you had faith in your Sensei and friend, Naruto, isn't that what you always say?" he asked.

Naruto scoffed at his brother's words. "Shut up Nii-chan!" he yelled out.

Kotero erupted into a state of laugher and started to slap his knee. He calmed down quickly and smiled at Naruto.

"If he doesn't come in the next few seconds, he'll be disqualified," Asuma said.

The rest nodded in agreement. Both Ino and Sakura's worry grew tenfold. "Sasuke-kun…" they both whispered to themselves.

 **WHOOSH!**

A storm of leaves appeared beside Genma on the battlegrounds. Two figures shrouded by shadows were in the centre of the whirlwind.

Genma saw the action from the corner of his eyes. A grin appeared once he saw who it was.

The leaves and wind died down. Once the crowd laid their eyes on the mystery pair, they up roared in arms, not in anger but joy and excitement.

Sakura and Ino both went into awe. "He's here! Sasuke-kun made it!" Sakura said joyfully, and loudly.

The crowd did see both Kakashi and Sasuke standing in the middle of the battlegrounds, back to back.

Kakashi looked the same as ever, however Sasuke was in a new outfit. Naruto saw Sasuke wear a black, one-pieced Uchiha outfit. New details covered his body, Naruto saw that Sasuke's limbs were wrapped with many small belts. There were similar bands around his legs.

The outfit spelt out one thing. He was ready to fight.

The group watched as Kakashi and Genma talk, with Sasuke staying quiet, keeping his eyes focused on Gaara in the Genin balcony. The Jōnin groaned when they saw Kakashi apologise profusely to Genma for his and Sasuke's tardiness.

Sand blew into the wind and the figure of Gaara grew from the ground up. He was also eager for this match. His bloodlust was oozing out of him, his aura was a deadly cold one as well. A grin fit for fanatics was plastered on his face.

Promptly after Gaara appeared, Kakashi disappeared from the battlegrounds. The fight was going to start very soon.

Moments later, some of the group heard footsteps.

"Yo Gai, and the others. How are all you doing?" the voice of Kakashi asked.

"Kakashi!" Gai said with his trademark smile.

"Kakashi, where were you? Did you know what I had to do for you so Sasuke didn't get disqualified?" Kotero asked.

Kakashi shook his head slowly. "No… We were late because Sasuke was just doing some last-minute polishing. What did you have to do?" he asked.

Kotero groaned and sighed heavily, putting on a show. "I had to beg. I was on my hands and feet, begging my heart out to make Hokage-sama postpone Sasuke's match. The things I do for my friends," Kotero said with exaggerated and fake emotions.

Kakashi slumped. "Did you actually? Now I feel bad for you," he said.

Asuma laughed and shook his head. "No. He didn't. He's only pulling your leg Kakashi. But Sasuke's match was postponed. Tou-san was considering disqualifying him earlier on."

"So, who fought instead?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto stuck his hand up. "I had my second match with Neji. I'm already in the finals Sensei!" he said excitedly.

Kakashi's eye widened. He smiled under his mask and then ruffled Naruto's hair. "Wow. Well done Naruto. I'm proud of you. Following your Sensei's footsteps, I got to the finals on my first go and won the whole thing," he said.

"You won it?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded to him. "Yeah. That was some twenty years ago. A long time ago."

"You don't say," Kotero said. "I wasn't even born then."

Kotero saw Sakura talk to Kakashi, she brought up the bruise that Sasuke had received during the forest of Death. Kotero began to look around the stadium. There were many figures in cloaks and masks.

' _Eight of them here… That's two platoons. That's not enough to cover the main stand, and with all these high-figure heads, it's risky. Jiji must have stationed more all around the village. This is going to be the epicentre. I just hope the old man doesn't get a heart attack over this,_ ' Kotero thought.

Kotero's eyes glanced over to Kakashi and Gai, the two were talking quietly. He assumed they're were discussing the same thing as he was thinking.

' _That Gaara kid, he's an important person. He might be the trigger for them… What have they all cooked up for us I wonder?_ ' Kotero thought further.

"Nii-chan."

Kotero broke out of his thoughts and looked at Naruto. "Wha?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Are you okay? You looked all serious," he said. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

' _I was told not to say anything to Naruto… Ah fuck it,_ ' Kotero thought.

Kotero stood up and moved past Nico. "Where are you going?" she asked him.

Kotero looked down to her. "I need to have a chat with Naruto now. Can you not stay here without me? Ah, that's cute," he said with a condescending tone.

Nico growled. "Alright. Go away. I didn't want to talk to you anyway," she said before crossing her arms under her chest.

Naruto watched his brother and Nico stare at each other. He had no idea how to describe it. It was strange. A peculiar feeling. Cold yet hot. It made no sense to him. Shaking his head, Naruto focused on his brother who set foot onto the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked.

Kotero went up the steps after patting both Gai and Kakashi's shoulders. "Just to the start of the stairs, come on," he said.

The two Uzumaki brothers left the ground and went to the top of the stands. They stopped before the stairs. Kotero rested against the wall and Naruto stood in front of him.

Kotero saw Naruto look up to him with questioning eyes. "I suppose I should tell you since you are basically a Chūnin at this point."

"What is going on?" Naruto asked. "With Sasuke's match being postponed, I sorta got suspicious."

Kotero smiled at Naruto. "Oh? That's good. But that's not the problem. Orochimaru is."

Naruto frowned. "Orochimaru is? How so Nii-chan?"

Kotero scratched his cheek. "I don't know what he wants. But, we're expecting an attack from him today. It could be either an assassination or a full-on assault from him. We don't know. But if he's going to do it, it'll be today. If there is an attack, it'll either be from him or him with his Oto ninja," Kotero said.

Naruto crossed his arms. "With all the different nations and people, Konoha had to focus on the higher ranks, so he could slip in with a few men. This could be really bad."

Kotero nodded. "Exactly. Very good Naruto. And we don't know his true objections. All we know is that he has a vendetta against Konoha and Jiji. It doesn't help that he marked Sasuke. He could also be an objective of his," he said.

Naruto grunted. "Sasuke… He just can't catch a break. I won't let the snake touch him."

"Ha. You and me both on that one. If something does go awry, be careful and help protect everyone. Haku, Sakura and Ino should be able to take of themselves, they're kunoichi, not damsels in distress. The Daimyō and their wives, if they're here, would be the most important," Kotero said.

Naruto nodded. "Okay. What about Nico-neechan?" he asked.

Kotero titled his head to the side. "Nico? Why her? Naruto, she's really, really strong. Don't worry about her," he said.

"Why aren't you telling Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

Kotero pursed his lips. "Eh… I didn't think about it. Anyway, Shikamaru is tired at the moment. Or at least he says so. And, I trust you will help out immensely if something does go wrong."

Naruto nodded. "Ero-sennin said something similar to me after my win against Lee."

"Jiraiya did!?" Kotero said with wide eyes. Surprise was evident. "Did he give any details?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No, nothing at all. He's a very secretive man."

Kotero sighed at the words. "I find it annoying as well. But, it is his job I suppose. And despite his lewdness, he's alright to talk with."

As soon as Kotero finished his words, there was a chirping noise. Some would even have said it was cackling loudly. A fierce source of power was sensed by both brothers. It was coming from the battlegrounds.

Naruto felt a shiver go down his back. "This noise… It's like the bridge. That attack from Sensei to try and kill Zabuza. But Kakashi-sensei isn't fighting," Naruto said.

Kotero gasped. "Sasuke! He learnt that jutsu and is able to perform it already… Seriously, that kid is something else. Naruto, we should go back and watch. We're missing out," Kotero said.

"But what about the stuff you just said?" Naruto asked.

Kotero moved and smiled at Naruto. "It's alright. With you and I here, there should be nothing to worry about. We brothers are the best team. Ain't that right?" he said with a grin.

Naruto smiled widely and nodded excitedly. "YES! Now, let's go," he said loudly.

The two brothers went onto the steps. Kotero saw that his seat was taken by Kakashi. It made him unhappy, he had a really good view on the fights.

The two brothers arrived at the bottom of the main stands. Naruto was standing in front of Kotero, the latter's hands were resting on Naruto's shoulders.

The two saw a sand ball close to the centre of the battleground. They looked and found Sasuke, on the wall with lightning being generated out of his hand. The power of the attack was unreal.

"That jutsu is too flashy," Kotero commented. "Way too over the top."

Kakashi chuckled. "Don't say that Kotero. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it's too 'flashy'. It is my own creation after all, you should praise it," he said.

"Sensei, what is it? I can see Sasuke's chakra," Sakura asked.

Kakashi turned his eyes to Sakura. "That is the fruit of his labours. This is the reason on why we were late. Sasuke and I are the same. Watch him now and be prepared to be blown away!"

"Blown away?" Naruto muttered under his breath. "What is Sasuke going to do?"

"Naruto-kun, Kakashi is a specialist in copying other's techniques but this is his only original move. A single thrust. All your chakra transformed into lightning and focused in the palm of your hand. The ultimate assassination move," Gai said. "No wonder you made him only train in his speed and taijutsu."

Kakashi nodded. "I see that you get it."

"But you have taught him a reckless move," Gai lamented. "That move is dangerous. Remember?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye. "I don't want to hear that from you. I already heard about Lee-kun and his ability to open the first five gates."

"What's that move called?" Ino asked.

Gai smiled. "It's named after the sound it creates. **Chidori** , as it makes the sound for a thousand chirping birds. It can also be more focused to become be **Raikiri**. It is called that because Kakashi used it to cut a bolt of lightning," he said.

Kotero heard a whisper enter his right ear. "That has to be nonsense, right?" Nico asked him.

Kotero turned his head, he saw the obvious doubt in her blue eyes. Kotero then laughed at her. "Why don't you ask to find out? Kakashi won't bite, he has his mask on," he said with a gleeful smile.

Nico's face turned sour, she then huffed and watched the match once again.

"That thing, **Chidori** , is really powerful," Naruto said. "No wonder it's the ultimate assassination technique. It would be better though if he could attack from a good range."

"Why?" Kotero asked him. He was interested in what Naruto was thinking.

Naruto watched as Sasuke ran down the wall, coming close to the ground. The attack was soon going to happen. "I don't know. Short range attacks seem dangerous with Gaara. If he could attack from far away, then there's no risk… Did I say something stupid?" Naruto asked at the end.

Kotero shook his head. "Not at all. It's actually… given me a good idea for a future attack. Thanks Naruto," he said.

 **BANG!**

A huge dust cloud formed at the point of where the wall and ground meets. Sasuke flew out of it with his **Chidori** , aiming to hit the ball of sand with all his might.

The whole audience watched as Sasuke's arm entered the supposedly impenetrable ball of sand. He was nearly skewered alive with the sand spikes truncating outwards. However, Sasuke's sharingan allowed him to position his body to avoid the threats.

"Blood… MY BLOOD!" the scream of a terrified Gaara shouted from his sand sphere.

"What is he on about?" Asuma said. "A ninja is supposed to get hurt once in a while."

"Yes, you're absolutely right. But Asuma, Gaara has been reported never to have been wounded once. His sand shield protects him from all threats. This might be the first time someone broke through it," Kotero said.

"AAAHHH!" the pained scream of Sasuke was heard. Lighting came out of his hand from where his left hand was. He pulled out his arm from the sand sphere, however there was a large sand arm with blue lines latching onto it.

The audience gasped at the sight of the monstrous limb. They were wondering where it came from, and if it belonged to Gaara.

A shiver ran down Kotero's back. This feeling was all too familiar. "This match has gone too far," he said. ' _This feeling..._ _Yagura's Sanbi… Naruto's Kyūbi…_ '

Kotero was about to stand up but stopped. The monstrous arm pulled itself back. There was the noise of rummaging inside.

Sasuke knelt to the ground and looked at his arm, thankfully it was fine.

The audience watched as sphere started to shake slightly. Everyone wondered if there was something growing inside.

" **ROAR!** " the full, deep, prolonged cry uttered by the now ominous creature inside the sand sphere was heard by all around. The force of its cry blew back Sasuke's hair and body. Sasuke could only kneel and watch in horror. There is nothing in his past that could've prepared him for this.

The sand sphere collapsed and revealed Gaara, bleeding blood with shocked eyes. Sasuke was still recuperating from the horror show that happened in front of his eyes.

Naruto watched the match with keen eyes, he turned his head for his brother's input.

"Nii-chan, what is-"

 **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM!**

Huge and devasting explosions were heard all around Konoha. Everyone turned their heads in every single direction, there were so many of them. Everyone was confused.

 **BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM!** **BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM!**

Another set of explosions occurred all around Konoha. The ground shook violently. the people lost their balance and fell to the floor.

The audience inside the arena started to scream and get out of their chairs. Running for the closest exit was their first and only priority. The act of terrorism was causing a mass panic.

Kotero focused his eyes and ears on his surroundings.

"This wasn't part of the plan. This wasn't the signal!"

"We have to ditch the mass Genjutsu and go ahead."

"All these people are going to make things harder!"

"Don't mind them. Kill them if they're in the way. We have to fight now! We have to give Orochimaru-sama as much time as possible!"

The voices of four different people were heard. Kotero was already on his feet as well as the others. He calmed his chakra and tried to sense what was going on. He needed to have some clue for these mysterious explosions.

Kotero's eyes widened and a gasp escaped his lips. "What the hell!? There are so many here!" he said.

"Kotero-san, what do you mean?" Gai asked.

Kotero's eyes turned deadly serious. "Gai, everyone else, this is really bad. I'm sensing so many new different chakra signatures all around Konoha. Inside and out. They're all flared up to the max."

"We're under attack. That much is obvious," Kakashi stated. "What should we do with Hokage-sama?" he asked.

"An ANBU platoon should already made its way to the Kage balcony. I'm worried for Mei, Zabuza and Ao. We're under attack by Oto and Orochimaru. We have to make sure that they're safe," Kotero said. "Haku, go to Mei right now and make sure she leaves Konoha territory. If she dies here, both Konoha and Kirigakure will suffer. She is a top priority."

Haku walked towards Kotero with worried eyes. "But Kotero-san-" Haku looked to her chest and saw Naruto blocking her path. She was astounded on how his low-key goofy persona vanished and his serious side came out.

"Listen to Kotero-Nii. Let's not waste time and get to work!" Naruto said with bite. He was being very stern at that moment.

Kotero tightened the knot of his forehead protector. "Alright! Listen up here cause I'm only going to say this once. We're under attack. We have to spread out and kill the threat. But first, we must evacuate the citizens and protect the Daimyō. Once they're safe, we can finally end the threat.

Haku, you will go and find the Mizukage and her guards. I changed my mind, you four will need to either escape Konoha grounds or go to the bunkers. I don't care, just as long as you four are safe.

Asuma and Kurenai, you guys will help protect the Daimyō.

Kakashi and Gai will cover the main stands and others.

Anko, I need you to go and find Ibiki. You two need to help coordinate with the ANBU and we need to find out why the other ANBU aren't here right now!

Ino, Kiba, Hinata and Chōji. You will form a four-man cell and help the Chūnin and other ninja protect and evacuate the citizens to the emergency bunkers. If there any people too injured send them to the Konoha hospital. That is already a base of operations in times of emergency. You guys will cover the Northern half.

Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru will form a three-man cell and will have the same objective. However, you will cover the Southern half.

This is an order where you can't defy. Avoid conflict as much as possible. If there is too many, call for back up, otherwise run away!

Do you understand!?" Kotero yelled out.

"Understood!" they all said.

An Oto ninja came flying into the group of Konoha ninja. His tantō aimed for the throat of Kotero. Coming to his right side, there was no one blocking him. The group were shocked to see him coming out of nowhere. The masses of random citizens and foreign ninja running away made him invisible to their distracted eyes.

"Kotero!" Anko shouted as she took out a kunai. Her eyes locked onto the Oto ninja incoming, she was already prepared to skin him inside out.

 **GRAB!**

The Oto ninja was held up off his feet. A feminine hand was wrapped around his throat, squeezing hard. The man was struggling to breathe and was moving like a wild animal.

"Nico," Kotero stuttered out. He completely forgot about her at that moment. He couldn't blame himself though, he was focused on all the ninja in the village. Nico wasn't a ninja of any village.

The whole group looked at the woman hold up the man. She tightened her grip on the Oto ninja, making him squirm.

"You know, you really pissed me off," Nico said, squeezing harder. "I was enjoying myself here. I was spending time with someone who I don't hate at all. Do you know how rare that is?" she asked.

The Oto ninja shook his head. Nico smiled. It was sweet, yet it held terrifying coldness behind it.

"Of course, you don't. Now, you're going to tell me, Kotero, Naruto and their friends what is going on. Isn't that right?" she demanded.

The Oto ninja didn't do anything at all. Nico grunted from her impatience. Flickers of blue emitted from her palm. Smoke raised from the Oto ninja's face mask. He started to scream from the searing hot pain.

"How about now?" Nico asked.

The Oto ninja nodded. Nico loosened her grip but still held his throat. The Genin were all amazed by her strength.

"Orochimaru-sama is planning on destroying Konoha. He has the aid of Sunagakure. He wishes to kill the Sandaime Hokage himself. There are also three objectives that we, the Oto and Suna ninja, had to complete.

First, is to capture Uzumaki Naruto. Second is to capture Uchiha Sasuke. Third was to either kill or capture Uzumaki Kotero," the Oto ninja said.

 **BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM!**

More explosions were happening around Konoha. The group had to split up as soon as possible.

"What about these explosions? There's a lot of them," Nico asked.

The Oto ninja shook his head violently. "We have no knowledge of the planted bombs. It was supposed to be a high-level mass genjutsu to put everyone to sleep. This was not part of any divisions' plans," he said.

Nico nodded and then gritted her teeth. "Why do you want the two Uzumaki?" she asked.

"What does it matter to you?" the Oto ninja asked.

Nico choked the Oto ninja harder, her eyes became tougher, her aura colder. "It doesn't matter how it matters to me. Don't avoid the question."

The Oto ninja coughed hard once Nico loosened her grip. "We were not given explicit details. But Uzumaki Naruto is for bribery or protection. Uzumaki Kotero is for experimentation, something about Uzumaki genes," he said. "Orochimaru-sama has had his interest peeked in him since his return a month ago."

Nico's eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes narrowed onto the Oto ninja. Both Naruto and Kotero felt uneasy around the woman right at that moment. They could sense that she was very angry, despite not saying much, Nico was radiating her fury.

Nico growled. "I could've guessed as much. Though, I can't let that happen. I like these two Uzumaki. And there's more people I don't like than I do like. So, I don't want these two out of my sight or dying anytime soon," she said.

"Wha… What are you going to do!?" the Oto ninja shouted.

Nico moved her right hand and gripped the top of his head. Stealing a kunai from Kotero's leg holster, she sliced through the Oto ninja's throat. The kunai went through the ninja's carotid artery like butter.

The blood sprayed out in red jet streams. Some of the blood went onto Kotero's face, completely covered him from the tip of his chin to the top of his forehead.

The noise of gurgled screams was heard. A terrifying scream for all those to hear, even worse for those who witnissed it.

"What the hell is she?" the whisper of Kiba was heard. His eyes were wide from the spectacle. He was ignored

Nico dropped the limp body and looked at Kotero. "Weak and useless subordinates, he must have been a higher-up to know that much information. Kotero, are you okay? You got blood all over your face," Nico said, wiping some off his cheek with her thumb.

Kotero slapped her hand away softly before he wiped the blood off his face, he then spat some out. "Yuck… Oto blood, I never want to taste that again. Yeah, don't worry Nico, I'm… just fine. Okay, now we know Suna are a part of this. This is now a declaration of war from both Sunagakure and Otogakure. Everyone knows their orders. Let's go!" Kotero ordered.

Everyone formed into their pairs and groups and rolled out.

Naruto clapped his hands to gather the attention of Sakura and Shikamaru. "Come on! We better go and help everyone. Sakura, Shikamaru, on me! Let's go!" Naruto shouted as he ran out towards the exit of the stadium.

It was a surprise that nether Shikamaru or Sakura complained about the order. They followed Naruto without hesistation.

"Who could be the other enemy attacking Konoha that's neither Suna or Oto?" Nico asked Kotero.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders. He made his way to the top of the stairs. He clenched his fist and pulled back his hand. It was ready to unleash a mighty strike.

 **CRACK!**

Kotero punched a hole into the wall. He looked back and saw that Nico followed him up. "I don't know who else could be attacking us right now. But I swear to god I'm going to make them regret it. Nico get out of here. I would really hate it if you got killed here."

Kotero didn't wait for her reply and leapt out of the arena. He was thinking at a mile a minute. This was ten times worse than his own worst-case scenario. Konoha had the worst luck of late.

' _Who the hell could be attacking us right now!? Ah! All that matters is making sure that everyone is safe. Naruto… keep yourself alive, I know you can do this!'_

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	21. Chapter 21 - Shaken, Not Stirred

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Chapter 21 – Shaken, Not Stirred**

 **Konoha Stadium, Main Stands**

 **CLING! CLASH! CLING! CLASH!**

"Oh no you don't!" Kakashi said as he pulled back an Oto ninja who tried to run away from him. "Wearing that mask, pretending to be an ANBU member of Konoha. You fooled the people and disrespected the ANBU. I just can't let that pass."

 **STAB!**

"ARGH!" the Oto ninja gurgled out. Blood leaked from his mouth. A river of red flowed down his jaw and chest, a horrific image was created.

Kakashi pulled out his kunai from the chest his enemy and flicked his kunai clean. The vile blood came off straight away. Kakashi reverse gripped his kunai and went after his next target. His next prey.

"There's so many of them. Oto and Suna, why did they do this?" Kakashi murmured beneath his mask.

A group of three ninja appeared in front of Kakashi. One Suna ninja and two Oto ninja. "We have you cornered, Hatake Kakashi. Prepare to die," one of the Oto ninja said.

Kakashi sensed three more enemies behind him. One of them was a kunoichi by the sound of her landing.

"Oh? Is that right? Well, I suppose this calls for some special treatment," Kakashi said. He gripped his forehead protector and pulled it up. His three-tomoe sharingan revealed itself.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan. Unfortunately, this is your end. A six on one with all the same rank. The only result will be your death," the Oto Jōnin said.

Kakashi smiled under his mask, making the ninja around him anxious. "That doesn't work around here. I'm sure you have heard of my feats as well as my good friends'. I'm not trying to boast, but it would do you good to think twice before you run your mouth," Kakashi spun his kunai around his finger and then gripped it hard. "I'll tell you why you're going to die here. When threatening a man who has everything to lose, that's when he is most dangerous," he said.

Kakashi's smile turned into a set of pursed lips, his eyes focused onto his new prey. Lightning chakra pulsed out of his right hand and coated his kunai.

Kakashi bolted forward, pulling back his fist and using his sharingan, he moved his body to stand in front of the Suna Jōnin. Kakashi pushed his left fist forward and punched the enemy right across the right side of his jaw.

The Suna Jōnin's head rocked back. This was what Kakashi was looking for. Swinging his right arm across, Kakashi sliced the vulnerable and now open side of the throat belonging to the Suna Jōnin. His lightning chakra aiding in the slice of life. The Suna Jōnin's head came off with a clean cut. Blood sprayed in the aftermath.

Kakashi's sharingan focused on the Oto Jōnin on his left. He moved his body to the left and pushed his right foot out across the ground, lowering his centre of gravity. Kakashi regripped his kunai and then thrusted it into the heart of the Oto Jōnin.

Kakashi quickly pulled it out. His head turned to see what was going on behind his back. The three other enemies that were behind him all threw shuriken and kunai at him, hoping to kill him with the throwing weapons.

Kakashi thought quickly on his feet, he threw his kunai at the second Oto Jōnin that was in front of him. It stabbed the Jōnin right in the head and he died in an instant. Kakashi then gripped onto the kunai, and in a feat of amazing acrobatics, Kakashi jumped over and positioned himself behind the limp corpse.

The shuriken and kunai stabbed the Oto Jōnin's corpse, Kakashi used it as a human shield.

Kakashi dropped the body and then dusted his hands. Tilting his head back, he eyes looked lazily at the remaining three.

"Ah, great. Now I have you three to deal with," Kakashi said as he walked over slowly to the remaining three Oto Jōnin.

The three Oto were shaking in their boots. "He killed them all so easily. We have to run away!" the middle Oto Jōnin said.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. His pace did not change. "Run away? How pathetic. All my wonderful students have much more courage than all three of you combined. And they're only Genin," he said. "Now come on, try your best to kill me."

The three Oto Jōnin looked to each other. Then they all nodded and crouched low to their feet. It seemed they were going to retreat and regroup with more numbers. A smart tactic if you're against a shinobi on the level of Kakashi.

" **Konoha Whirlwind!** "

Gai came through the air and spun in circles, his feet implanting themselves into the three Oto Jōnin. Each and every one of them flew off and crashed into either the tough seating or the concrete wall.

Gai stabilised himself and looked at all three. He didn't know if they we unconscious or dead, but for now they were all definitely down for the count.

"How many have you taken down Kakashi?" Gai asked.

Kakashi yawned. "Twenty. What about you?"

Gai smiled. "Ah, my eternal rival. I also took down twenty. Though, this is not the time to be playing games. The main stands have dwindled. What should we do with Hokage-sama?" Gai asked.

Kakashi sighed. "I wouldn't worry about him. He's still strong. Though, we can't do anything since that barrier is up. That **Four Violet Flame Formation** barrier won't allow anyone go in or out. All we can do is hope is that Hokage-sama defeats Orochimaru and puts an end to this," he said.

Gai went into deep thoughts. "Could Kotero-san not do anything about it? He has great knowledge on seals and those sort of things," he asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, that thing isn't fūinjutsu, just a group ninjutsu technique. And Kotero knows he doesn't have anything to break it down. It's not in his arsenal. Finally, he's not here with us, he's gone to protect the future. We should go over to Kurenai and Asuma and support them with the Daimyō protection," he said.

Gai smiled. "Good call Kakashi! Let's show them what we Konoha ninja are all about!"

* * *

 **Main Streets of Konoha, Southern Half**

The streets of Konoha were a mess. Rubble laid across the paths, food and stalls were destroyed from the various attacks. The people were in a desperate panic. Hours ago, there was a festival full of joyous people, now it has transformed into a death arena.

Naruto was on top of a building, scanning his surroundings. He was mainly looking for any children that could have been caught in the wreckage. He was also looking out for any men or women; however, the streets below were clear.

Naruto jumped down to the street and landed beside Shikamaru.

"Anyone else?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto could see that Shikamaru's laziness has completely vanished and he was taking the situation very seriously. It was a nice change, but an odd change nonetheless.

Naruto shook his head. "The streets are clean. Everyone has been evacuated. Thankfully the enemy hasn't reached this location. Where is Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"I'm right here Naruto," the voice of Sakura said.

Both Naruto and Shikamaru turned their heads and shifted their bodies to see the girl run up to them.

Shikamaru scratched his cheek. "What was holding you up?" he asked.

"I was helping a woman with her son. He broke his ankle, so I helped lead them to the hospital," Sakura said. "What should we do now?"

Naruto smiled at her. "Good work Sakura. This area is clear, and I saw that the areas nearby is mostly clear. However, with all the Chūnin flying around, I think it's fair to say that we have completed our roles so far and evacuated everyone here," he said.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, the easy part is over unfortunately. What should we do now Naruto?" he asked. Shikamaru was hoping for a retreat order, he really didn't want to get into any confrontations.

Naruto ran his fingers through his blond hair. The intense situation was making him worry in sweat.

"Kiba, Hinata, Ino and Chōji should be close to being finished as well. I think Sasuke is alone. We were separated after when the explosions came. He's going to get isolated. Alright! We're going to go and find Sasuke, then we'll go to the hospital and defend it from further threats," Naruto said.

Shikamaru thought for about it for only a second. "That's a solid plan. I don't want to fight, but we have to look out for our own," he said while nodding his head.

Sakura gasped. "I completely forgot about Sasuke-kun," she said.

Naruto's face remained stern, but inside he was struggling to contain a laugh. Not taking the attack seriously would be completely inappropriate for the dire situation they're in right now.

Naruto exhaled heavily and narrowed his eyes on Sakura. "I honestly didn't think that was possible. We have to go now, every second we waste here means more time for Orochimaru and his goons to try and capture Sasuke," he said.

"What about you Naruto? You and Aniki are both targeted by Orochimaru as well," Shikamaru said with concern.

It never occurred to him before this that the two people he considers his family could be targeted in this way. Shikamaru felt grief at the idea of losing either one of them. If his mother Yoshino found out, she would try and kill Orochimaru herself.

Naruto grinned at both Shikamaru and Sakura. "We don't need to worry about Kotero-nii. Orochimaru would need to do it himself if he really wanted him. And for me, I have you guys."

Sakura clenched her fist and kept it close to her chest. "What if your brother does get captured?" she asked.

Sakura watched as Naruto's expression turn cold. She felt her skin crawl. Naruto was radiating in deep fury. She was wondering how Naruto could exert so much emotion, so much pressure.

"Never again. Never again will I let Nii-chan get trapped like that," Naruto said through gritted teeth.

Shikamaru slapped Naruto's shoulder, making the latter snap out of his dark emotion. "Don't think like that. You couldn't have done anything back then, you were still in the academy. It's been two years since Aniki was on that mission. Both you and Aniki have gotten way stronger," Shikamaru said loudly, all of it was directed at Naruto.

"Naruto… are you okay?" Sakura asked. Having never seen this side of Naruto, she grew worried for her friend.

This past month, the Chūnin exams, the preliminaries and finally the finals, Sakura has learned more about Naruto than from their last few months together as a team. Gone was the façade of a true idiot that only ate ramen to now a sophisticated shinobi with a goofy and loveable side. Her whole opinion of him has changed.

Naruto shook his head and sighed a breath of mighty relief. "Yeah! I'm fine. Let's go and find Sasuke," Naruto ordered.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. We will be the ones to collect the Uchiha, right after we dispose of your two friends and take you in, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Who was that?" he asked. Naruto's eyes quickly moved to Shikamaru's. The two pairs of eyes met, and an unspoken plan was made.

A four-man cell of Oto ninja appeared onto the streets. They were approximately twenty metres away from Team Naruto.

Naruto was confused with the introduction. ' _Why did they come straight out to the open? Unless if they have a trap hidden up their sleeve, they've only hampered their chances of capturing me. What idiots,'_ he thought.

Naruto crossed his arms and stared at the Oto ninja that was in the front. He assumed that this ninja was the leader. Naruto saw that all the Oto ninja wore the same outfit. A black mask that covered their whole face, only a section revealed for their sight. The Oto forehead protector was sewn onto the forehead section of their masks.

Naruto assumed there was some type of armour underneath their purple and black camo outfits. In his mind, there had to be. This made him think of a plan that will only need two moves. All he needed was a Nara and something deadly.

Naruto breathed slowly before speaking. He only had one chance to do this right. He had to make sure that his team could hear him properly.

"Capture me? And kill my friends? That's not going to happen," Naruto said confidently.

The Oto ninja laughed. "You and the black-haired kid are tired from your fights. The pink girl looks weak. This is going to easy. Just make things nice and simple, surrender," he threatened.

Naruto smiled. "Let me think about that. But, I have to say to always watch out for your shadow. It might get you stuck in a real bad situation. You wouldn't want a gustily wind to blow in your face either," Naruto said.

Sakura couldn't understand what Naruto was doing. "Naruto… Stop this, you're only provoking them," she said. In her eyes, this was not the situation to act all cocky in. They should run away from the threat.

Shikamaru grunted, making Sakura look at him. She saw him shake his head at her. Was he trying to say he understood what Naruto meant? The thought was running through Sakura's mind.

"What the hell you talking about kid? This isn't fun and games," the Oto ninja said. "I'm going to kill your friends."

Naruto exhaled loudly. His eyes then focused. "Shikamaru!" he said.

"Understood!" Shikamaru didn't waste any time. His hands were already formed in the Rat hand seal. His shadow grew and hid itself in the building's shadows. It then stretched out and linked all the Oto ninja's shadows. "Shadow Possession successful," he said.

"What! My body!" one of the Oto ninja said. For all the effort he put in, he couldn't move an inch.

Naruto took out his Wakizashi blade, Silver, from its sheath. "Shikamaru. Make them hunch down now," he ordered.

Shikamaru kept his jutsu going and moved his body forward, leaning forward and letting his arms hang off his shoulders. He made sure to reveal the left side of all four of the Oto Ninja's throats.

Naruto reversed gripped Silver and crouched slightly. He moulded chakra, letting his body prepare itself for the next set of motions.

"Naruto, what're you doing?" Sakura asked.

She was ignored.

Naruto opened his eyes and focused on the first, then the second, third, and finally the last. His free left hand formed into the one-handed Tiger hand seal.

" **Swirling Blade Style: Cyclone,** " Naruto said. Silver glowed a faint silver colour as soon as the words left his mouth. He could feel the intense chakra circulate through his two legs and sword arm.

Sakura and Shikamaru watched as Naruto disappeared from his spot in a flash, generating dust clouds from where he was.

 **SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! STAB!**

Blood sprayed straight up into the air. Three cuts were made to the carotid artery of the first three Oto ninja. Their throats were completely cut open. Their bodies stayed in position due to Shikamaru's jutsu. The jutsu however couldn't stop the bleeding.

The final attack was a thrust through the abdomen. Naruto's blade went straight through the final Oto ninja's belly. The eyes of the ninja that Naruto just stabbed were nearly popping out of his skull.

Naruto gripped onto Silver with just his right hand, and then it sliced out to the man's left hip. Silver came out without resistance; the Oto ninja's blood came off Silver as Naruto flicked his blade before sheathing it back to its sheath.

Shikamaru released his jutsu, the first three Oto ninja dropped to the ground. They were already dead as Naruto already dealt the killing blow long before his last kill.

Naruto turned around to see Sakura covering her mouth, and Shikamaru looking at him with hard eyes.

Naruto made his way to his team. "Come on guys. We need to hurry," his head looked in every direction, trying to find any threats, "Staying here will only put us in danger, ANBU will clean this up," he said.

Naruto watched as Sakura coughed violently. This was the first time she saw this much gore at once. He sympathised for her, but only a little. Naruto knew what he was, what they were all. Shinobi. This belief made these things easier to deal with. Hopefully in the future, things will change.

"Sakura, have you calmed down yet?" Shikamaru asked.

Sakura nodded, but her face showed a deathly pale. "I'm fine. Let's just get out of here. But you guys worked so well together, and you didn't say anything to each other at all," she said.

Shikamaru smiled at the words. "That's probably because we understand each other so well. But you're right, we better go," he said.

"Shikamaru is right. Let's go," Naruto said, already moving towards the stadium, the last known location of Sasuke.

Shikamaru and Sakura followed in his footsteps. They were on the move.

Naruto looked around as they moved. Team Naruto were making good distance. The open streets made it easier to run without distractions.

 **CRACK! CRACK!**

Two large and thick walls erected out of the ground and trapped Team Naruto. The walls sudden appearance made the team worry.

"What is this?" Shikamaru said. "We're boxed in."

The walls reached up to the eaves of the buildings around them. The team were trapped in.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on the two new walls. "This looks familiar. It must be an Earth ninjutsu," he said. "It looks just like Kakashi-sensei's."

"Look what we have here. Three Konoha babies."

Naruto looked up to the rooftops and saw four people, two men and two women. They all wore red. Naruto focused his eyes to their faces, their forehead protectors. A gasp escaped his lips as his eyes widened. It was a big surprise to him.

"What are Iwagakure ninja doing here!?"

* * *

 **Konoha Academy**

The day of the Chūnin exam finals have belly-upped in a spectacular fashion. The village itself has now become the warzone of four different groups.

Throughout the massive grounds and properties, Konoha, Iwa, Oto and Suna ninja were fighting. It seemed that Konoha was the only one being targeted as Iwa, Oto and Suna ignored each other for the most part.

Many have died already, both the civilian villagers and ninja of Konoha. The enemy forces are dwindling down in the Oto and Suna armies, however so far, the Iwa ninja were applying guerrilla warfare tactics and using the whole environments to their advantage. The worst part was that it was working magnificently for them.

Sarutobi Konohamaru was being lead out with his fellow classmates and his Chūnin instructor, Umino Iruka, to the playgrounds of the Academy.

Konohamaru saw the children on their knees, their hands tied behind their back, hunching towards the ground.

Looking to the left and right, there were thirteen men and women in red shinobi clothing. He recognised the symbol engraved in their forehead protectors. The symbol of a rock. It was Iwagakure.

Konohamaru's heart started to beat faster. Moegi and Udon who were beside him, started to cry. He has never felt this scared before in his life. He couldn't understand how this could be happening, to him, his friends and Konoha. It made no sense!

Konohamaru's trembling mouth couldn't stop moving. The three teams of four Iwa ninja were making him even more fearful for his life.

The leader was the scariest one of them all. Konohamaru saw that the man was the average height, he had toned muscles and a loud voice. The shaggy brown hair with the shaved sides made the leader a scary image for the young boy.

"Get a move on!" one of the Iwa ninja said as he kneed the back of Konohamaru, making him cry out in pain.

Konohamaru dropped to the floor, but quickly got back to his feet. He didn't want to give anything or anyone an easy excuse to hurt him.

The Academy students were lined up and forced onto their knees, much like their fellow classmates.

"That's the last of them," one of the Iwa kunoichi said, "the whole building is empty now."

The leader dusted his hands and smiled. "Good. Finally, that's the first order now complete. We now move onto phase two," he said.

"Crua-taichō, what are your next orders?" one of the Iwa ninja asked.

Crua, a Jōnin of Iwagakure, looked at the back of his hand. There were many scribbles and doddles written on it.

"Yes, what was it again? Oh, there it is! Okay, we need to plant the explosives around the Konoha Academy," Crua ordered.

A squad of four Iwa ninja nodded and vanished, all travelling via body-flickers.

Crua walked up and down the lines of the academy students and the Chūnin instructors with a stern expression. He stopped once he saw the face of Konohamaru.

Konohamaru's heart stopped beating, just seeing this man's face, Crua's eyes made him lose all control. This pressure was nothing Konohamaru has ever experienced before.

 **Stab!**

Konohamaru choked and coughed. He looked down to his chest and saw no wound. No damage whatsoever.

As Konohamaru looked back up, Crua hasn't changed his expression or has moved an inch, not even one little bit. He was a still image.

Konohamaru wasn't stupid, he knew it was the sheer bloodlust that made him feel that pain, that phantom pain.

Crua knelt to the floor. His eyes pierced through Konohamaru's. He then rested his jaw on his palm and grinned at the boy.

"Hello there Sarutobi Konohamaru-kun. Grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen," Crua said, his grin never fading.

Iruka, who was beside Konohamaru, narrowed his eyes on the Iwa ninja. "Why are you doing this? What reason do you have to do this?" he asked.

Crua turned his head to see the shouting Chūnin instructor. He picked out his ear and blew out some wax into the air.

"You're loud. Quiet down and I'll answer your questions, or I'll else your head will be pulsed by my fist," he threatened. Crua cracked his knuckles which made the threat even more frightening.

Iruka closed his mouth, a cold sweat rolled down his back. This man was something else, scary couldn't be enough to describe him.

Crua sighed. "Since we must wait for the bombs to be planted, I'll be the kind man my Kaa-san tells me that I am and tell you. Why are we doing this? Simple, to bring Konoha down on its knees."

Iruka gasped. "Bring Konoha down on its knees?" he asked.

Crua smiled and nodded. "We knew today was going to be the day that one man was going to attack Konoha. A spy was seen in Iwa years ago. A teenage boy with glasses and grey hair. Instead of apprehending him, we spied on him. A smart move in my opinion. We fed him false information while we learnt about him and his new informants. We didn't know who he was as we assumed he was under a false name.

Eventually, we found out that he was betrayed by his own, and then went to Orochimaru, a member of the legendary Sannin. He then began to work for him, we eventually lost his trail, but we reaped some good rewards from it all.

We wanted to have put down this place, this village. But there was also another big reason, the Tsuchikage-sama and us as well want one man to go down, broken to tiny pieces or even killed. He was the pushing factor for this surprise charge," he explained.

"One man?" Iruka asked. "Hokage-sama?"

Crua laughed and wagged his finger in front of Iruka. The bindings around Iruka's ankles and wrists made it impossible to make him stop. The wagging was infuriating.

"No. Not him at all, he isn't even part of the plan. We don't care if he survives or not. No, we want to get rid of three things. First, the future generation. Kill them before they get strong. Second, demolish and destroy any building we see in our sights. And finally, repay our dearest friend from this damned village for what he did to us two years ago," Crua spat out at the end.

"Two years ago?" Iruka said. Memories flashed quickly through his mind. The voice of Naruto rung through his ears.

 _Kotero-nii! He was sent on a mission and he was ambushed by thirty ninja. The leader of the group was like the son of the Tsuchikage. He fought them all alone and he could be dead! Hokage-Jiji even came to my house last night to tell me!_

"You're after Kotero-san for what happened two years ago?" Iruka asked. "You were the ones who tried to kill him in the very first place!"

Crua nodded sluggishly. "I know that, but with politics, we have to show we don't take shit from anybody or anyone. I didn't lose anyone important, but there are some in our little army who have. His death will make them happy. Like I said, a repayment for what Uzumaki Kotero did to Kitsuchi's 'Earth Squad' in the Land of Stone," he said.

"Naruto-niichan's Nii-chan?" Konohamaru muttered under his breath. "Kotero-nii…"

 **WHOOOSH!**

The four Iwa ninja who left before, have now returned. They waited behind Crua, waiting for his acknowledgement.

"The bombs are now set up Crua-taichō," one of the Iwa ninja said. "What shall we do next?"

Crua stood up and dusted his hands. "What else? We set them off, kill these guys and move out," he said. His voice was dry and deep, he was dead serious despite the wry smile on his face.

 **BUZZ! BUZZ!**

Crua clicked his tongue and pushed a small button on his earpiece. "Yeah what is it Kitsuchi-san?" he asked. "I'm in the middle of something yeah."

Iruka listened closely. He couldn't hear anything from the earpiece, but he wanted to hear every single word that left Crua's mouth. However, the way Crua referred to their leader made Iruka think that the man was of similar rank. It was a frightening prospect.

"Huh? You need support. Yeah, everything is calm around here. Alright, see you in a few," Crua said.

Crua turned around and looked at all his subordinates. "Alright, myself and team Alpha are going to support Kitsuchi-san. He's in trouble and the bastard needs me to get him out of it. Team Beta and Gamma will continue phase two here," he said. "Where's my second in command Reo?"

"I'm here Crua-taichō," a tall, broad shouldered man with brown eyes and hair tied in a bun came to the leader's space, "What do you need me for?" he asked.

Crua looked at him from head to toe. "Yeah, you will oversee everything here. Come back once the operation is finished. I'll shoot a flare once we've reached Kitsuchi-san's location, so you'll know where we are. Though, once you reach it, we'll have to change location since Konoha will know where we will be," he said.

Reo nodded his head. "Of course, Taichō. We will return with nothing else but total success."

Crua crossed his arms and smiled at Reo. "That's my man. Alright, let me give you a little something special before I go."

Crua did the Snake hand seal and focused on moulding his chakra. " **Diamond Release: Weapons Creation,** " he said.

A tantō and multiple shuriken were created out of thin air. Starting as small particles, it grew rapidly and took shape into deadly weapons. Everyone took the new weapons and inspected them.

Reo looked at his new weapon with a shine in his eyes. "Truly remarkable. The hardest material with such a sharp cutting edge. Such a dangerous weapon can take down any Konoha or Suna scum," he said.

Crua sighed. "I suppose, but those weapons won't last forever, there is a limit. My chakra diamonds are not the same as normal diamonds. I would have to put more effort into them if I wanted them to last forever," he said. "Ah, but they will last for a few battles or so. Good enough for today."

"More than enough," Reo said with a mad grin.

Crua nodded. "Alright. Reo, don't lose your cool if you see him. We'll take our leave. Team Alpha on me, let's go!" he shouted.

"Yes sir!"

Crua and four of the Iwa ninja moved towards Hokage Tower and the Konoha bunkers. Being one of the densest spots of conflict in the village, it should be no surprise that Iwa needed support.

"The bombs are set. Where's the switch?" Reo asked his ninja.

One Kunoichi moved her way to the new leader and gave him a small stick with a red button on top. Reo smiled once it was in his possession.

"Alright, in three… two… one… blast off!" Reo shouted, pressing hard on the button.

 **BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM!**

Six huge explosions all around the academy building, destroying it and the buildings surrounding it. The floors started to collapse, and everything fell apart.

"Oh, my Goodness…" Iruka said stuttering. His favourite place in Konoha, where all his most amazing memories were made, was completely blown to smithereens. The bombs destroyed everything. The large sign that was proudly placed above the door of the academy fell and struck the ground hard, creating a large divot and sound.

Konohamaru's eyes started to well up in tears. This was too much for him and his friends. Now that the academy was destroyed, their deaths was the only thing left for the Iwa ninja had to do.

Konohamaru could see everyone crying, some were even screaming. The explosions, the sound of death around them. This was a huge mess. Konohamaru looked up to the new leader, Reo, and saw he had a grin on his face. A plan was in his head and he was ready to say it.

Reo walked around the tied-up Konoha citizens and laughed. "You're angry and sad. Aren't you all!? Well, just before we strike death upon all of you, you might have some solace if I tell you this. Blame the man who killed our comrades two years ago. You could say it's his fault for placing this terrible doom on you and this village. Uzumaki Kotero is the spawn of the devil.

Don't worry though, as all of you curse him in your deaths, the Iwa shinobi will send him back to Hell!" he shouted to the top of his lungs.

Konohamaru saw that people were in a state of distress. They were thinking of the words. He knew that a lot of people didn't like Naruto for some strange reason. Kotero was in the same boat, receiving some glares here and there but never on the same scale Naruto did.

In the last seven months, since his first meeting with Naruto. Konohamaru noticed that the opinion of the Uzumaki brothers was a strange one. Respected for their strength but disliked greatly by the majority.

Mainly from the civilian populace of the village. The ninja body had good respect for them, but it was clearly the minority. Konoha has grown from a simple village with just ninja clans. It's now a hub of every type of person, all with their own opinion.

One thing was certain to see in the eyes of the other academy students and some of the Chūnin instructors. They were scared for their lives, fear has overridden everything in their systems.

The tears couldn't stop flowing from Konohamaru's eyes. This was simply too much for the young Sarutobi.

The sound of footsteps was heard, they were close by. Konohamaru stopped his crying. His lips trembled, and his fear grew tenfold, he believed more Iwa ninja came for them. To kill them all.

"Send me back to Hell? I don't know about that, it seems like an awful long way down."

Konohamaru saw Iruka flinch. "That voice!" Iruka said.

Reo stopped his speech and looked towards the now destroyed entrance to the Konoha academy grounds. He saw crimson hair and purple eyes. A ninja outfit mainly consisting of green, grey and black.

"It's you. The guest of honour has finally arrived. Uzumaki Kotero. 'Crimson Leaf'… It's a ridiculous name for a ninja, no an imbecile like you," Reo said with a cold tone.

Kotero walked closer but stopped once two Iwa ninja stopped in his path with unique clear weapons on the ready. Kotero moved his eyes to Reo, who was glaring at him.

"Imbecile? That's a bit harsh," Kotero scratched his cheek while focusing on Reo, "You seem to have some problem with me from the look of that glare of yours? Don't leave me out of the loop, spit it out," he said bluntly.

Reo clenched his fists. "Two years ago, you killed many people. One of them was my sister. Others lost brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts. How do you feel about that?" Reo asked.

Kotero exhaled through his nose. "Kitsuchi and his squad initiated the assault on my team. What was I supposed to do? Let them kill me? No, I wouldn't allow that to happen. I fought and fought hard. Prevailing through, I left it behind me and learnt from my mistakes. It's not my fault that she died, blame your village," Kotero said.

Reo gnashed his teeth. "Blame my village!? Do you take me for a fool? Never, Iwagakure flows through my heart and soul. You're the one I have to blame, you're the only one I can blame for all this pain."

Kotero could see the heavy eyes of the man. Reo, must have loved his sister dearly to still be in this much pain two years later. His vengeance was hungry for Kotero's head.

Kotero knew Iwa hated him and wanted him dead, but he didn't know by this much. His feelings would be similar, maybe even more if it was his Naruto that died.

Kotero moved his head from right to left. There were only eight enemies in total. However, each looked strong, a fierce battle was surely to come. The only problem was the number of hostages in the blazing yard. There were many different classes and many Chūnin instructors in danger.

' _I do love a challenge though!'_ Kotero thought as he took out a kunai from his leg holster. Looking across once more, he could not see a single way to kill or distract every Iwa ninja and not lose a Konoha life. The numbers were totally not in their favour.

If he didn't want Iwa to win in any form, Kotero needed to save everyone here. Yet, it seemed to be an impossible task.

Kotero's expression darkened. This was a tough predicament. Blowing through his nose heavily, his eyes refocused on the eight enemies, a plan was made up in his head.

"Kotero-san! Just save the children! We would sacrifice ourselves for them!" Iruka shouted, before getting smacked in the face by an Iwa kunoichi. He spat out blood, the woman had a powerful punch.

Kotero sighed. "That was the plan already. Sorry, but the future is important to us. The King has to survive," he said.

Reo scoffed. "You there, kill that Konoha man who just shouted," he ordered.

The Iwa kunoichi pulled back her kunai, ready to deal the death strike to Iruka.

Kotero hunched down, he prepared himself for the outrageous task of saving Iruka and everyone else.

However, he heard footsteps behind him and stopped his movements immediately. The presence was familiar. Too familiar, and he knew the presence shouldn't be here in the village anymore.

"Bang," a feminine voice said.

Kotero's eyes saw a blue ball of fire with a white core fly past him at unbelievable speeds. He saw it move past the hostages and hit the Iwa kunoichi that was about to kill Iruka.

"AHHH!" the kunoichi screamed as her whole body lit up in blue flames.

The hostages, the Iwa ninja as well as Kotero watched as the kunoichi's body drop to the floor, becoming a desiccated and mummified corpse. All life was evaporated from her body.

"What the hell happened? Who did that!? No Konoha ninja should have that type of ability!" Reo shouted to his men and women.

Kotero watched as the remnants of the special blue flames vanished from the corpse. "That power. She's here… why?" he said under his breath. "I told her to leave like five minutes ago."

The footsteps became louder and louder and then they stopped.

Kotero looked down to his right. "I thought I told you to get out of here, Niko. This is Konoha's problem, not yours," he said. "Get back to safety and go home."

Niko scoffed at Kotero's words. She flicked her hair and then rested her hands on her hips. "Yeah you said that. But, what makes you think I'll follow your orders though? I'm not a shinobi of this village, you have no command over me," she said.

Reo, the Iwa squad leader, focused his eyes on his two enemies. He was familiar with Kotero, having been in the Iwa bingo books for so long, all ranked ninja above Genin knew about him. He had a large bounty on his head not only from Iwa, but also the Land of Frost. If someone was to kill him, they would become very rich overnight.

This woman however, he has never seen or heard of her. She was much shorter than Kotero, her white hair flowed with the wind. Despite her attractive appearance, she wielded a deadly ability. Her attire was a mix of battle and class, it seemed that she prepared herself for a fight.

The pressure emanating from the two was intense, more than anything he felt before. It was similar to his captain's, Crua, but with both of the pressures together, it was on a whole other scale.

"What was that ability? You killed her in an instant and she's dried to a crisp!" an Iwa ninja shouted. It seemed this was too much for him.

"It doesn't matter what ability she has, we have to eliminate her now," Reo shouted as he threw one of his newly made diamond shuriken at Niko.

The shuriken flew across the grounds, Niko raised her right hand up and caught it, however letting it stab her palm in the meantime. There was no leakage of blood, confusing the Iwa ninja, the academy students and the Chūnin instructors who could see. The woman didn't flinch with any sort of pain.

Niko proceeded to pull out the shuriken and then inspected it. One end of the shuriken tips morphed into a curve, rendering it useless.

Her supposed wounds caught in blue flames and then vanished. The Iwa shinobi were shocked to see there was no wound marks whatsoever, yet it was a direct hit. Was it a demoralising tactic?

"Oh, this is made out of diamond. You see that Kotero?" Niko said as she threw it up to him.

Kotero nabbed it out of the air and looked at it. His eyes widened once he looked at it closely, it really was diamond.

"So, the rumours are true. You, the Iwa squad leader, are you the infamous ninja that has the ability to make diamonds?" Kotero asked.

Reo smirked. "No. But Crua-taichō can. He has awakened his ability and is unbeatable. He is the ace of Iwagakure," he said.

"Awakened his ability?" Kotero said. "It seems like this Crua guy is a lot stronger than I thought."

Niko huffed and puffed. "Seems like we have our work cut out for us here," she said. "Do you think we can take them all on and keep everyone safe?" she asked.

Kotero bit his lower lip. "I don't know, but we have to try, don't we?"

Reo looked between his squad and the two enemies, Uzumaki Kotero and this strange woman Niko. If they start the executions now, they will all surely get killed in the meantime.

It was clear that Reo was buying time for himself and his comrades. It would be very bad if they all died, which would be an obvious mission failure.

Reo knew they had to kill those two before anything else could be done. "Eliminate those two now!" he ordered.

Kotero saw tens of diamond and metal shuriken fly his way, the diamond kunai were hiding themselves behind the other projectiles. It was too much to deflect all at once, even if he had his two swords which he stupidly left at home. In the back, it seemed that a few of the ninja were preparing for their own individual jutsu. He had to act now.

Kotero weaved through five hand seals and ended it with Tiger. He moulded his chakra and focused on the scene ahead.

' _ **Water Release: Water Wall**_ _,'_ Kotero thought as water gushed out of his mouth and created a high and thick wall of water.

The volume of water was huge, resembling a large flowing river, it completely negated the shuriken and kunai attacks.

Kotero released his jutsu and stopped spewing out water. The water wall dissipated, and water flowed across the grounds. The knees and legs of the Chūnin instructors and academy students were now soaking wet. The waters revealed the large number of weapons that he blocked.

Kotero looked to see that an Iwa ninja slammed his palms to the ground. He felt a rumble at his feet and jumped up immediately.

Four large spears of rock emerged out of the ground and jutted to where Kotero was standing. Like last time in the Land of Stone two years ago, the **Earth Release: Earthen Stone Shoots** jutsu nearly pierced through his guts.

Kotero landed on the new stone shoots. His eyes watched as the Iwa ninja reformed their positions. He was wondering if the projectiles and the shoots were only a distraction for something greater. He knew he'll find out eventually.

Kotero's eyes turned back to see Niko wasn't at her spot anymore. He looked around and saw her standing to his back left, there was some blue flames residing on her right hand. Looking in her body direction, Kotero saw another mummified body, this time a male member of the Iwa squad.

Now there was only six, and the Iwa ninja hasn't killed one hostage yet. ' _They want to kill us first… The guy is not as ruthless as I thought he would be. Or maybe he's just not taking the full advantage,'_ he thought.

Kotero watched as Reo grabbed Konohamaru from the ground and pulled a diamond tantō against Konohamaru's throat.

"Don't do anything stupid. Or else the Hokage's grandson gets killed. His blood will be on your hands," Reo threatened.

Kotero's expression darkened. It seemed that he was dead wrong from before. Reo was taking advantage of the dire situation, Konoha was in trouble now.

Reo watched in glee as he saw the change in Kotero, his frown became more apparent. However, it didn't last long before Kotero changed it into a grin. This confused not only him but Konohamaru, Iruka and the other hostages.

"Shinobi Rule Number five: A shinobi should always be aware of their surroundings," Kotero said. "You failed."

"Huh?" Reo said. His face showed his total confusion.

 **PIERCE!**

"AH! Fuck me!" Reo shouted as a stream of focused water pierced through the back of his shoulder and left through his front deltoid muscle. The pain made him jerk in reaction and drop his weapon. Konohamaru was now free.

Kotero, who already took off his Jōnin jacket, formed the Snake hand seal while jumping off the stone shoots.

He then landed on the ground and six chains came out of his back, they launched themselves to each of the Iwa ninja and snaked their way around their waists. The chains secured tightly and picked up the Iwa ninja and kept them up in the air.

Kotero then slammed his left foot onto the ground, making it go deep a few mere inches to secure his position.

"What are these chains!? This wasn't in the bingo books!" Reo shouted. "You guys get out this the best you can. We can't let them win!"

Kotero could see the Iwa shinobi slashing at the chakra chains with their kunai and other weapons. It was ineffective, any damage it received was meaningless. The chains repaired itself after every strike by consuming more of Kotero's chakra.

Kotero kept his hands in the Snake hand seal and looked to Niko. "My clone just popped there. Finish this off would ya? Use your power!" he said.

Niko smiled and nodded. "Will do. Alright, **Scorch Release:** **Will-O-Wisp** ," Niko said as she crossed her arms over her chest, with her index fingers pointing in opposite directions.

Six blue flame balls of fire with a white core formed around her, circling in quick motions. Niko focused her chakra and then formed the Horse hand seal. The balls flew into the air, all in different directions. Each ball of hot fire hit each of their targets.

"AHH!" the cries of the Iwa ninja could be heard from miles away. The agonising pain of being burnt to the core was a burden nobody wished to have.

The flames that covered their bodies and grew more and more. Niko was satisfied with her work and then clicked both her fingers. "Let's go," she said with a grin.

 **BANG!**

Each flame covered body erupted in more flames, scorching the Iwa ninja. They were like bombs. The shrieks of the Iwa ninja could be heard within the blaze. A terrifying group of screams.

Kotero felt the bodies that his chains held up were shrinking, the blue flames were doing their job of making the bodies completely dry.

Kotero released his chains and let the bodies drop to the ground. Five bodies dropped and cracked into separate pieces, the final dropped and shattered completely.

Kotero focused on the last body and noticed it was different from the others. There was no corpse, it was a fake. He knew what it was, a special earth ninjutsu which creates a golem to the shape of the user. It's very similar to an earth clone, but it had its key differences.

Kotero looked to the wall and saw someone standing on it, bleeding and coughing blood. There was a large burn wound on his right arm, ranging from his shoulder to his elbow.

"That was a close one," the man, Reo, said. "Crua-taichō won't be happy with this."

Kotero clicked his tongue in annoyance, Reo escaped his and Niko's team move. "Where do you think you're going?" he yelled out.

Reo tugged his lips up. "What the fuck do you think I'm doing!? I'm retreating you son of a bitch. You and that woman, I knew it, you are definitely related to the devil.

With those powers of yours. Ha, I have to tell the chief about this. Konoha will know that you are to blame for this, Uzumaki Kotero," he said.

Dropping a smoke bomb, Reo had escaped and ran away. His presence has vanished from the vicinity.

Kotero ejected the hidden blade that was in his right wrist guard and nabbed it in the air. With second nature, he launched it forward to the Academy ground's wall where Reo was standing on, enhancing it with Wind chakra. It went through the wall and split the old tree behind it.

The man, Reo, was gone already. Kotero spat out his built-up saliva in frustration and went on his way to retrieve it. It didn't take him long to find it and put it back where it belonged. Turning around, he walked back to the destroyed Academy.

Kotero shook his head and moved his way to the academy students, picking up a diamond kunai along the way and cutting up the ropes that tied their ankles and wrists together. He saw that Niko proceeded to repeat his actions. Eventually they got to the Chūnin instructors.

Iruka rubbed his wrists, the ninja rope used on him was wrapped extremely tight. He was afraid he would have lost the use of his hands from lack of blood flow.

"Thanks to you and your friend here Kotero-san, the children are safe," Iruka said. "Now we have to get them to the bunkers."

Kotero nodded. "Absolutely. You know the drill already. Just make sure everyone gets there safe," he said.

"What are you going to do now?" Iruka asked.

Kotero sighed and looked into Iruka's eyes. "I'll have to go to the hospital. There were many serious injuries and they were all bottlenecked into there. Making sure that they don't die is a priority now. It is also a base of operations during invasions, so I'll try and help coordinate other ninja to where they're needed most," he explained.

Iruka smiled at the news, his worries calmed slightly. Then it suddenly peaked back up. "How is Naruto? Is he okay?" he asked.

Kotero grinned. "Oh? Naruto is fine. He's helping out the village right now and I bet he's doing a fantastic job as always. This will be great experience for him," he said.

Iruka wiped his forehead. "Thank Goodness, I shouldn't worry so much, but I can't help it. I love all my students."

"And they love you too," Kotero said. "You're a good sensei. Make sure they stay safe Iruka."

Kotero's eyes focused on Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi who were surrounding Niko, complimenting about her special **Scorch Release** powers, having never seen anything like it before.

It surprised Kotero how everyone was ignoring the mummified corpses that she created, but he wasn't going to make them look at them now, that would just be cruel.

Kotero crossed his arms and made his way over to Konohamaru's group. He noticed something strange about Moegi's left arm once he got close to them. "Moegi? Did you hurt your hand?" he asked.

Moegi flinched once she heard the voice and turned around quickly, seeing Kotero was already there beside her. She looked at her left wrist, there was a large swelling and her hand was very limp.

"I think they did something to it," Moegi said. She was biting her lower lip to brave through the pain.

Kotero knelt and took her arm gently, analysing the wrist closely. He could clearly tell what happened without having to use a diagnostic jutsu.

"Ah, Moegi, it's broken. This needs to get checked out immediately," Kotero said.

 **WHOOOSH!**

The leaves blew out and a member of the ANBU appeared from Kotero. The person was wearing a mask of a boar.

"Uzumaki-san, the hospital is full to capacity. They require assistance in first-aid and minor surgeries. You are required," he said.

Kotero focused on the ANBU's arms and saw the tattoo on his upper right shoulder. A flame mark only put on those who become official ANBU members. Kotero knew this guy was legitimate.

"Understood. I'll be there ASAP," Kotero said. "Go and help the village."

The ANBU vanished as quickly as he came. Leaving nothing behind him.

Kotero rubbed his face and looked to Iruka. "Iruka, take Konohamaru and Udon to the bunkers with the rest of the students. I'm taking Moegi to fix her arm. Don't worry, she'll be safe with me," he said.

Iruka nodded and grabbed the hands of Konohamaru and Udon. "Come on boys, we have to get you guys safe, so your future comrades can save Konoha," he said.

Iruka lead the two boys off with the retreating pack of academy students and Chūnin instructors.

"Konohamaru-kun, Udon-kun," Moegi said with worry.

Kotero hummed, making the small girl look up to him. "Don't worry, they'll be alright," he said.

"Promise?" Moegi asked.

Kotero brushed away his sense of déjà vu and smiled at Moegi. "I promise. I am Naruto's Nii-chan after all. It'll look bad if I didn't keep my promise," he said.

Kotero grabbed Moegi's right hand and held it tight. His head turned to Niko who was waiting for him to come to her. He went over with a puss on his face.

"What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed," he spat out.

Niko tilted her head with a devious smile on her face. "Oh? Are you really that worried for me? I'm touched. But honestly, if I wasn't here to throw them all off, someone on your side would have died," she said sternly at the end. "Or many."

Kotero focused his eyes on her. She was right, there was no possible way of him saving everyone in that situation. Even if they all had the skill level of a Chūnin, it was simply impossible to leave without one casualty, which most likely would have been Konohamaru. Being the grandson of the Hokage had its downfalls. It seemed that Naruto's famous luck has finally rubbed off him for today.

A part of Kotero wanted to thank the woman in front of him, she has truly helped out him and the village, Kotero wanted to show his gratitude. However, a much larger part of him was suspicious of her actions of late.

Kotero narrowed his eyes onto her. "Why are you doing this Niko? I may not know everything about you, but I know that you don't do things just for the sake of it. You don't do things for the greater good. You're selfish in your actions. I like you because you're honest about it. Yet, what just happened doesn't fit your personality, now does it," he said.

Niko smiled and batted her eyes. "Now, now. I'm human after all, we have to do a selfless one thing once in a while," she said.

Kotero scoffed at her words. "That applies to everyone apart from a select few, which includes you, and you know that. Look, cut the bullshit. Do you want Konoha to survive for business? I know that some of your channels get through to here," he said. "You 'Kings' control the whole information and drug trade, it's no surprise if that's what you wanted."

Niko crossed her arms. "That's not all of it you smart bastard. Yeah, Konoha is important for business. But it's also your home, and your little brother's," she said with a huff. "That's enough of a reason for me to kill some of these assholes."

Kotero exhaled through his nose and pulled himself and the confused Moegi towards the hospital. "And we're only pieces to your gaming board, right? Pawns for your future goals," he said.

"I don't think so," Niko said as she came her way and stood beside Kotero. "You're more important than mere pieces on my gaming board. You'll see… eventually."

 **BOOM! BOOM!** **BOOM!**

More explosions happened thought out the village. The dust clouds rose to the skyline, blocking the sunshine. Kotero could feel the shivering action off Moegi's arm.

"Eventually, yeah right," Kotero said. "I'd say it would be for the best if you left now and got back to the Capital."

"Where are you going now? The Hospital?" Niko asked.

Kotero nodded and picked up Moegi off her feet, holding her tight. "Yep, gotta get this little one there to fix her arm," he said. "So like I said, get the hell out of here and I'll see you later."

Kotero ran forward and jumped onto the closest rooftop. He then proceeded to run towards the Konoha hospital, keeping Moegi in a tight but comfortable grip.

Niko sighed and wiped her forehead. "Kotero, haven't you learnt yet? You don't tell me what to do. The hospital huh?"

* * *

 **Konoha Stadium, Main Stands**

"Damn, there's a lot of them."

"You don't say Asuma, I wonder how the others are doing."

Asuma and Kakashi were taking a quick breather between their many bouts with Oto and Suna ninja. They have received reports that the people responsible for the explosions were the ninja of Iwagakure. It made all their lives much more difficult.

Asuma took out a cigarette and lit it quickly. Smoking did always calm his nerves. "I'm worried for our Genin. Kotero though, we don't need to worry about him at all," he said.

Kakashi had his forehead protector covering his sharingan, trying to restore some of his drained chakra. "Iwa… It's sure to bring up bad memoires from that mission. Let's just hope it doesn't make him flustered," he said. "I heard the shouts of his name flying all around. What was that about?"

Kakashi saw Kurenai walk to him and Asuma with her kunai gripped hard. "Gai, Aoba and I have taken care of the enemies here. You two lazing about didn't help," she said.

Asuma clicked his tongue. "If you didn't know Kurenai, we took most of them out, didn't we Kakashi?" Asuma said.

Kakashi looked away from his nails and back to Asuma. "Did you say something Asuma?" he asked.

Asuma slumped his head slightly. "God damn it, sometimes you really piss me off," he muttered under his breath.

"Haha," laughed out Gai. "Asuma is not the only one to endure Kakashi's hip personality," he said. Gai's face turned serious and his laugh died. "We have protected the various Daimyō and lead them to safety as well as eliminating the threats in the stands."

Kurenai crossed her arms. "What should we do next?" she asked. "Us standing around here isn't benefitting anyone."

"Kakashi, what do you suggest we do?" Asuma asked.

Kakashi sighed. "Come on, we're Jōnin. We should know what to do now. Eliminate the threat to Konoha. Let's leave the stands and go after any Iwa, Oto or Suna ninja we see."

* * *

 **Main Streets of Konoha, Southern Half**

Naruto looked up to the rooftops. Four Iwa ninjas were looking down at him, Sakura and Shikamaru. A clear disadvantage was here. A three-on-four, with the latter being Chūnin or Jōnin, a fight with them was most likely suicide.

' _There's no way Shikamaru could pull off his shadow jutsu so I can use another of my clan's sword techniques. We're not only in the wrong position, but they look way stronger than those Oto ninja from before, Shikamaru doesn't have enough chakra to hold them all down at once for me to do it,_ ' Naruto thought while gritting his teeth.

Naruto's right hand hovered above his leg kunai holster, he was on the defensive. "Shikamaru, think of a plan quick," he ordered.

"I already have," Shikamaru grumbled.

Sakura gasped. "Really? What do we have to do?" she asked.

Shikamaru sighs heavily. "Run away as fast as we can," he said simply.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Shikamaru. "That's the best you can think of!?" she hissed.

"That's a great plan Shika, I had the exact same one," Naruto said. "The only question is how."

One of the Iwa kunoichi jumped down to the ground, she was staring down Naruto. "What do you think you're doing? You know we're going to kill you now," she said. "There's no point of running away."

Naruto and his team jumped back to gain some distance. He watched the kunoichi with careful eyes. He looked strong, her short brown hair made her look scarier in his opinion.

The three other Iwa ninja jumped down and joined the kunoichi. They all looked ready to fight.

"I cannot let you do that."

Naruto turned his head towards the left and saw a teenager appear, jumping down from the new walls. It was a young man. Naruto saw that he had white hair, vivid green eyes and masculine features throughout his appearance. The wind blew his medium length hair, a braid moving wildly with the breeze.

Naruto focused on the finer details. Scarlet dots near his eyebrows and scarlet markings around his eyes. Naruto has never seen a young man like this before yet that was not making him worried. It was the attire that the young man was wearing. Light lavender clothing, from head to toe. A purple rope like belt wrapped around his waist. The exact same as Orochimaru's.

' _Who is this guy? He is way… stronger than the other Oto ninja,_ ' Naruto thought, as he bit his lower lip.

The Iwa ninja turned their bodies to the newcomer. "Get the fuck out of here. This is none of your business," the Iwa kunoichi spat out.

The young man aimed all the tips of his fingers at the kunoichi.

Naruto was confused by the actions and watched carefully. His hand reached towards his pouch filled with ninja gear. This was the perfect opportunity to escape.

The skin of the young man's fingers ripped apart and ten white projectiles shot out of them at a high speed. The Iwa kunoichi had no idea what was happening and raised her kunai to deflect the incoming attack.

It was no use however, there was simply too many to deflect at once. The kunoichi deflected the white projectiles that would have stroke a major organ, yet she couldn't stop the projectiles from hitting her arms and legs.

She howled in pain and went to her knees. Her comrades all took up arms and went on the defensive.

Naruto carefully watched the scene. The situation completely flipped in mere seconds.

"Orochimaru-sama does not wish for Uzumaki Naruto to be killed. I will be taking him in," the young man said. "He is needed for Orochimaru-sama's ambitions."

"These are bones!? I thought the Kaguya clan were extinct after their attack on Kiri!" the wounded kunoichi said through gritted teeth. She was pulling out the white bullets from her wounds, looking at each one with shock.

' _Bones? A bloodline limit?'_ Naruto thought. ' _I knew this guy was strong, but he has that as well!_ '

The young man pulled his arm towards himself and looked at the forearm. "You are correct. I am the last member of the Kaguya clan. I am Kaguya Kimimaro, user of the **Dead Bone Pulse** ," Kimimaro said. "My name shall be the last thing you learn before your death."

Naruto flinched as he watched a bone push its way out of Kimimaro's arm, it had no resistance. Naruto saw Kimimaro pull out the bone with ease, if he didn't see it come out of his body, Naruto would think it was just a fancy white blade.

"Naruto… This is too much for us," Shikamaru whispered.

Naruto could hear the words from behind his ear. Shikamaru was right, four Iwa ninja and a bloodline limit user was too much for him, Sakura and Shikamaru. Most ninja would struggle with that. There was only one way to survive this scenario.

Naruto took out shuriken and kunai from his pouches and threw them at all five enemies.

Having taken their eyes of Team Naruto, they didn't realise an attack would come so soon. The Iwa ninja shifted their eyes away from Kimimaro and prepared to dodge or deflect the incoming projectiles. Kimimaro stood his ground and simply waited for the shuriken and kunai to come to him.

 **POOF!**

In the midst of smoke, Naruto picked up Sakura and ran up the building walls. Shikamaru was on his tail, running away from things was a speciality of the Nara boy.

"AH! Naruto, what are you doing!?" Sakura shouted as she had no idea what just occurred.

Naruto didn't respond and ran forward once he stepped onto the flat roofs. All he cared about was getting out of the crosshairs of the Iwa ninja and that scary Kimimaro. His bone trick made Naruto's skin crawl.

Jumping from roof to roof, he slowed down and dropped Sakura to her feet, he then started running once again.

Shikamaru appeared to Naruto's right. "Good work, they're fighting each other. Where are we going now?" he asked.

"The Hospital. It's a base of operations in cases of emergencies. Nice one on the smoke bombs, you really saved our skin," Naruto said.

Shikamaru smiled. "I know. The hospital though, how'd you know that?" he asked further.

"Nii-chan and Shikaku-ojisan talked about it before at dinner," Naruto said. "You should listen more often."

"Naruto, what about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she finally caught up to Naruto's left.

Naruto bit his tongue before saying a snarky remark. He calmed down and sighed heavily. "We should see if we're needed elsewhere rather than focus on one person," he said.

"But Sasuke-kun is our teammate, our friend," Sakura said in a plea.

"This is not the time to be selfish, we have to do what's best for the village," Naruto said with a bit of bite, hoping to drive home the message. "I'm just as worried as you are. He's my friend damnit!"

Sakura did quiet down after the words were said. Naruto couldn't blame her worry. He was worried himself about his friend.

The trio ran for a short while before reaching a heavily guarded area. There were many Konoha ninja surrounding the area. Naruto saw the familiar building and landed to its front.

The team had arrived outside of the Konoha hospital. As he eyes peeled around the perimeter, it seemed that the hospital had emergency walls erected for added protection. There many kunai embedded within each layer.

"We're here. Let's go inside to see what we can do to help out," Naruto said as he walked quickly towards the front door.

Opening it wide, Naruto lead his makeshift team into the lobby. The nurse didn't bother to stop him, they were already familiar with the loud, but loveable blond.

The lobby was filled with people, ranging from young to old, from minor injuries to missing fingers. Everyone was suffering, some more than others, but they were all suffering.

"Who are we supposed to get orders from?" Sakura asked. "Kakashi-sensei isn't here."

"I doubt Asuma-sensei would be here either, they're most likely taking the brunt of the forces right now. Aniki should be here though," Shikamaru said.

"Aniki?" Sakura asked. She then smacked her forehead, "You must mean Kotero-san, I forgot you had close relations to him."

Shikamaru nodded with a small grunt.

Naruto's eyes scanned around the lobby. It was a sea of people. Looking for someone would be quite difficult unless the person you are looking for has unique hair. Seeing the Crimson strands, Naruto made his way through the crowds.

"Nii-chan!" Naruto called out. He made his way further to see a surprise. Moegi had bandages wrapping from her elbow all the way to her wrist. "Moegi!" he said with worry.

Kotero turned around and smiled. "Naruto, you're safe. I'm glad. Now, give me one second. Airi! Do you have the cast prep ready?" he shouted.

"Of course, Kotero-sensei, it's ready to go," Airi said. She came in with a tray with multiple medical items. It mainly consisted of rolls of casting tape, bandages and fiberglass.

"Okay Moegi, remember, keep your arm straight and your thumb pointing at the ceiling," Kotero said. He proceeded to wrap the casting tape meticulously around Moegi's arm as efficiently as possible.

As the roll finished he picked up the black fibreglass roll. "Good, it's already soaked," he said.

Naruto watched as Kotero finished off Moegi's bandage. Kotero took a scissors and trimmed the bandage to make it a neat job.

Kotero dusted his hands off and smiled. "Job done. Alright, Airi can you lead Moegi off to the back?" he asked.

Airi nodded. "Yes. Come Moegi-chan, we have to go and give room to Kotero-sensei and the others," she said.

Moegi looked between Naruto and Kotero with worried eyes. She was in a state of confusion.

Sensing this, Naruto gave her a thumbs up to calm her down, he even gave her his thousand-watt smile making her feel safer, stronger even.

Kotero, Naruto and company watched as the blonde nurse lead the child to the back of the hospital. Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru then turned their bodies to face Kotero. Being a Jōnin meant that right there he was their commanding officer, regardless of them already being in different established teams with other Jōnin.

"Now, Naruto. Run-down report," Kotero ordered.

Naruto nodded. "I, Sakura and Shikamaru did as requested and ventured through the Southern half of Konoha. We helped lead the majority of the citizens to the bunkers and only those with big injuries to the hospital here.

I declared myself as the leader and decided to find Sasuke, we had no idea of his whereabouts or status and we were worried about him.

A short while later, we got ambushed by Oto ninja," Naruto said.

Kotero nodded. "Good work. Shikamaru continue where he left off. Leave out no details," he said.

Shikamaru flinched slightly from the order. He was already in a relaxed state. He shook his head and sighed before he talked.

"Naruto and I dealt with the Oto ninja with good teamwork. One of our moves we practiced ages ago came off without a hitch. We then continued on until we were trapped by Iwa ninja. There were four of them.

We were going to retreat but then this guy came in and started to fight the Iwa ninja. His name was Kaguya Kimimaro. He had this weird bone power," Shikamaru said.

Kotero gasped. "Kaguya clan? They should be extinct, funny how things happen. A few years ago, they attacked Kirigakure during its reign with Karatachi Yagura, the Tormenter. Every clan member was killed. Though it seems they missed one.

That bone power you mentioned is a bloodline limit. The **Dead Bone Pulse** , I learnt about it during my time in the Civil War for the Mist. The user can manipulate the density and shape of any bone in their body. It also regenerates after it had been shaped or taken out. A powerful ability. So, how did you escape, Naruto?" Kotero asked.

Naruto ran his hands through his hair, his adrenaline from the tight situation hasn't worn off yet. "Shika dropped smoke bombs and we ran the hell out of there. It was too much for us there," he said. "Anyway Nii-chan, have you heard anything about Sasuke?" he asked.

Kotero nodded and crossed his arms. His face showed worry. "Yes, I have. Genma sent him after Gaara. The latter was being pulled away by his siblings towards the Eastern Forest. I'm worried about him. Genma is seriously underestimating those Suna siblings," he said.

"It's nice to know you worry about someone that isn't your little brother," Niko said, walking in from the corridor with medical supplies. "Here's the stuff you wanted."

Kotero nodded his thanks to the woman. "I expected you to leave already. But... You've been a great help," he said with a wry smile.

Kotero then turned back to Naruto and company. "Alright, I'm assigning you an emergency mission. Naruto and Shikamaru, you two will go towards the Eastern Forest and look for Sasuke.

Once you have located him, bring him back here. Do not go into contact with Gaara or his siblings. If Sasuke is already fighting any of them, distract them and retreat," he ordered.

"What about me Kotero-san?" Sakura asked. Despite her body showing her deep-rooted fears, her eyes showed determination to help find her teammate.

Kotero looked down to Sakura. "You're staying here with me and helping with the last of the injured in the lobby. We seriously need another pair of hands," he said.

"But I can fight-"

Kotero cut her off by raising his hand. "That's good spirit you have there, Sakura. I admire it. However, you will only hold Naruto, Shikamaru and Sasuke back if you go with them and then come back. As of right now, you are simply not good enough," he said bluntly making the girl slump. "You have potential. Lots of it. Become the kunoichi you are destined to be and don't let your lack of skills hold you back any more. You would die if you left here right now."

Sakura nodded slowly, she has never had the truth laid into her so quickly and concisely. "Ok…"

Kotero clicked his tongue. "Don't put yourself down. I want you to stay here as well, I need your help," he said. "There are too many people here for the staff available."

Kotero's words seemed to put Sakura in a slightly better mood, however it was nothing compared to her usual perky self. Though, the times of dire battles was never a time to act like your usual self.

"You really do have a sliver tongue, huh," Niko said with a sly tone.

Kotero narrowed his eyes on the woman who was resting on chair, casually lounging and watching the scenes unfold in front of her. No doubt thinking of her next plan for both the world and the Underworld. "Niko, please give me just a few moments of peace," he said in a sigh.

Kotero's eyes then focused on Naruto and Shikamaru, they were dead serious. "Listen to me. Gaara is dangerous. He could kill either you in mere seconds if you're not careful," Kotero warned.

"Shouldn't we fight Gaara?" Naruto said. "Sasuke is probably already fighting him and his village attacked Konoha. We should bring him in."

Kotero shook his head and then moved forward so his mouth was right beside Naruto's ear. "I don't care if they're already fighting. Once you see Sasuke, bring him back here," he whispered. "Gaara is not normal Naruto. He's a Jinchūriki just like you, only difference is that he can control his power a whole lot better than you can. Don't put yourself in an uneven contest."

Naruto shook from the news. A Jinchūriki just like him. ' _That means he must be the Ichibi's Jinchūriki. Shit…_ '

"Nii-chan, is there anything else we should know about?" Naruto asked.

Kotero bit his lip before sighing deeply. "Jiji and Orochimaru are having a huge battle in that **Four Violet Flame Formation** barrier. Other than that, nothing that you don't already know. Now go, you're wasting time. Sasuke could already be a bloody corpse. Sakura, you go to the back and help out Nurse Airi. She will guide you through the procedures," Kotero said.

Naruto could see the discouraged body language of Sakura. He patted her shoulder making her look at him with wide eyes. "You're helping Konoha. Don't worry. We'll get Sasuke back," he said.

Sakura stayed still, then she beamed a smile. "Okay! Naruto, Shikamaru, good luck you two!" she cheered out.

Kotero smiled from the scene, it was heart-warming. His brother had a talent for making people bring out the best in themselves.

"Alright you two, move out!" Kotero ordered.

"Understood!" both Naruto and Shikamaru said in unison. They turned heel and left quickly through the lobby, then the front door.

Naruto saw the sky was filled with smoke and smog. The cinders of Konoha trees and buildings were in the air. The metallic smell of blood was there for the tasting. The village has become a warzone.

Naruto looked to his left, towards the eastern sector of Konoha. "We need to move. Let's go Shikamaru," Naruto said, as he wasted no time running forward and climbing up the buildings.

Naruto heard no response, but he did hear the heavy footsteps of Shikamaru's feet. He was getting tired, sometimes Naruto truly forgot that there were very few people who could keep up with him in stamina.

"Shikamaru, do you need a soldier pill? I have a small bag of them if ya need it," Naruto asked.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just need to catch my breath. Kiba had to stay in bed from the pill he took in his fight against you a month ago. I don't want to end up like that," he said.

"You could end up dead instead," Naruto chided. "Just saying."

Shikamaru grunted. "And I'm just saying shut up and focus on the mission. We're already entering the forest," he said.

Naruto nodded and kept moving forward, his feet started to jump from branch to branch. Leaping quickly through the forest.

" **Naruto. Stop moving now,** " a deep voice called out.

Naruto stopped at the next branch. He knew the voice already. "Pakkun, what're you doing here? How's Kakashi-sensei?" he asked.

Shikamaru landed on the branch close to Naruto and saw a pug dog come. He was small and wore the Konoha forehead protector as well as a sleeve-less blue jacket with the symbol of a scarecrow face on the back. Shikamaru shook his head from the sight, he knew summons were weird.

Pakkun sat on his hind legs and focused his eyes onto Naruto. " **Too many questions. Kakashi is fine. He ordered me to tell you to find Sasuke and for me to help you in the search** ," he said.

Naruto smiled after he heard the words. "Good. Nii-chan ordered Shikamaru and I to look for Sasuke as well. With you here will make things easier," he said.

" **Great minds think alike, or so they say,"** Pakkun said. " **We better move forward or else we will get attacked**."

Naruto and Shikamaru nodded and moved forward, Pakkun leapt forward and took the lead of the group. His nose was the best and gave the best advantage for tacking any enemies that might be in Naruto and Shikamaru's way.

After a few minutes of quick trekking, Pakkun sniffed new scents hot on the groups tail, and another group of scents standing still much farther ahead.

"Pakkun, what is it?" Shikamaru asked. "You keep sniffing through your nose harder."

" **We have a group of trackers on our tail. Eight of them. No… Nine trackers. That's not all, there's a group of four foreign ninja much farther ahead. Most likely Iwa ninja from the scent** ,"Pakkun said.

Shikamaru showed his annoyance by the click of his tongue. "An unfortunate pincer formation. If we change directions now, the trackers will catch us. If we don't change direction, we'll encounter the Iwa team. This is a really bad situation," he said.

Naruto nodded. "Having to fight either one will attract the others. It would be better if we could get them to fight each other… I got a plan!" he said.

" **Let's hear it,** " Pakkun said.

"Alright, let's rush up ahead. We need to set up a trap for the team that's tracking us," Naruto said.

"Naruto, we don't enough time to set up a proper trap to kill the team," Shikamaru said. "I know you're fast but that's asking for too much."

Naruto shook his head. "Who said anything about killing them?" he said. "All we need to do is attract the other team to them."

Pakkun smiled. He knew it from the very start, Kakashi's student was a smart kid. " **How are you going to attract them?** " he asked.

Naruto took out a small pile of explosive tags from his pouch. "I never got to use these in my fights. We'll set up a fake trap and make footprints to distract them. Once they come and look at them, we'll set these off and hopefully get one of them. The Iwa team will come and finish the job for us," he said.

Shikamaru listened and the rest of the plan formed in his head. "And then we take out the Iwa ninja in a surprise attack. That's smart Naruto," he said. "If only we had more time. Then we could make the trap with a hundred percent success rate."

"Pakkun, what's the distance between the two teams?" Naruto asked.

Pakkun sniffed hard through his nose, never losing his stride as he jumped with Naruto and Shikamaru. " **The trackers are three kilometres on our tail and are closing in fast. The Iwa ninja are two kilometres ahead.** **My nose is telling me that our trackers are Oto ninja,** " he said.

Shikamaru nodded when he heard the new information. "Makes sense. Two of Orochimaru's objectives are to capture both Naruto and Sasuke. He would need to have a specialised team in tracking down either one," he pointed out.

Naruto laughed lightly. "Doesn't matter. He isn't getting either of us in the end. I won't let anyone take my friends away from me," he said. "Let's rush up ahead. Pakkun, once we are five hundred metres away from the Iwa team, tell us and we will set up the traps."

Pakkun nodded. " **I will. You better hurry, the trackers are moving faster than we are.** "

Naruto, Shikamaru and Pakkun put their heads down and ran ahead at a faster pace. Naruto could see that Shikamaru was struggling to keep up with the speed increase, but he wasn't complaining or slowing down the team.

Naruto's heartbeat was beating fast, not because of the running but because of the whole situation. It wasn't even the end of the day and the whole village has been infiltrated by three opposing sides. He knew Konoha will surely have to improve on their defences in every aspect after this terrible invasion.

" **Stop, we're here,** " Pakkun said.

Naruto and Shikamaru jumped off the trees and landed on the dirt ground. "Shikamaru, make lots of prints and put out some ninja wire quick. I'll do the tags," Naruto said.

Shikamaru pulled out a ninja wire could from his pouch and began to set up the trap. Naruto proceeded to plant the explosive tags at various trees, bushes and rocks around the forest spot.

They didn't take their time, they tried to do as much as possible. They were cutting it close.

Pakkun sniffed once again. " **Naruto, Shikamaru, the trackers are incoming. Fifteen seconds until they see us,** " he warned.

Shikamaru turned his body to Naruto, he then made his way to Naruto, he knew the blond would know the best hiding spot.

Naruto jumped into the crowns of the trees. Pakkun and Shikamaru followed him without hesitation. They all settled down and hid themselves within the leaves.

During this time of year, the trees of Konoha grew large leaves, it was perfect camouflage for the Konoha ninja.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Pakkun watched carefully at the quick trap they created. They didn't have to wait long.

Eight Oto ninja landed in front of the footprints. They crowded around it to investigate. It didn't take long for them to see Shikamaru's obvious ninja wire. It didn't matter, that wire was only a distraction.

"Which direction did they go off to?" the Oto tracker leader asked his team.

"We don't know, the tracks go off in every single direction," one of the other trackers said.

In the crown of the trees, Naruto formed the Ram hand seal, he was ready to set off his explosive tags. Looking between Shikamaru and Pakkun, he smiled at them. "Let's get this show on the road already, shall we?"

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	22. Chapter 22 - Ring of Fire

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 22 – Ring of Fire**

 **Konoha Arena, Kage Balcony Roof**

"Just tell me why?" the voice of Hiruzen asked, looking down at his former student Orochimaru. "Why did you do all those terrible crimes? Why did you attack Konoha and try to kill me? I treated you, Tsunade and Jiraiya like my own children, like my very own blood."

Orochimaru who was on the ground struggling to move, struggling to even speak as the end of the Hokage's special Bō staff was at his throat.

Making a last ditch effort, Orochimaru flicked his fingers towards him, making the sword of Kusanagi fly towards him and Hiruzen.

Seeing this Hiruzen somersaulted backwards to avoid the flying sword. After landing, he saw that he created a good amount of distance between him and Orochimaru.

"Sarutobi-sensei," Orochimaru said with a raspy voice. "I just wish to watch the windmill move with the wind. When it's still, I find life around me boring and pointless."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes onto Orochimaru. "Pitiful, I did not raise my student to be like this. That's your reason? Boredom…" he said as he watched Orochimaru's glare intensify on him.

Ideas and memories flowed through the mind of Hiruzen. Some of Orochimaru's actions of late now made sense when correlating them with Jiraiya's reports.

"So, you say you're bored? Or is that you want someone to notice your actions," Hiruzen said. "Your appearance in the Forest of Death and giving that mark to Uchiha Sasuke, there is one who would take a special interest in that."

Orochimaru kept his glare and his mouth shut.

"Also going after the Uzumaki boys. How ambitious are you? But let me tell you something straight Orochimaru, those two elder brothers have long surpassed you. And now because of that, you're going after an old man. How depressing," Hiruzen said with some steel in his voice. His words truly did hurt Orochimaru.

"It is not your place to fight them. Their time will come when history will repeat itself, where their ancient blood will fight each other once more. Orochimaru, it is not your place to interfere. It is their fate, not yours," Hiruzen continued.

Orochimaru gnashed his teeth, his fangs were showing. He was angry, no he was infuriated to his very core. His slit eyes were showing all his fury.

Then the sound of wind gathering together came. Orochimaru looked to his left and right, he watched as the dust swirled into the air, more and more of it came and fused together above the cracked terracotta roof tiles.

It didn't take long for the two swirls to form into the shapes of men. Both tall and strong, the colour returned to their faces and armour. Hiruzen growled once he saw the figures once again. Orochimaru's actions were acts of complete disrespect to the dead.

"Seems like my dear Hokage have returned. Senju Hashirama and Tobirama, they will help me kill you, Sensei," Orochimaru said with newfound confidence. "Your special supressing seal tags seemed to have worn off."

Hiruzen spun around his Bō staff and then slammed one end into the roof tiles. It caused the whole building to shake. His power was fierce. Hiruzen knew it was do or die at that moment, all he had to do was have faith in all those who he loved in the village.

Having that faith made his will strong, strong enough to go ahead in this fight with the one objective without worrying about anything else.

To kill his student, the one that he loved with all his heart.

"Orochimaru… let us begin round two. Having to get help to kill me, an old man! It seems like you need training boy!" Hiruzen spat out before raising his staff. "Enma, lend me your power! The time to repent for my sins has come."

* * *

 **Outside of the Konoha Hospital**

The end was closing in. The sirens boomed out that all evacuees have been safely put into the Konoha bunkers, one of the safest places in the hidden village. The hospital has calmed down greatly.

It seemed the tide of the battle has been turning towards Konoha's favour, this however did not come without a cost. The whole village has been bruised heavily from the onslaught. Many have anger and sadness to expel but it was nor the time or place. It had to wait until the village was safe.

"You better make sure to stay alive, Yoshino will kill me if she finds out that you got yourself killed," the voice of Shikaku said.

Kotero smiled as he heard the words. "That woman, you got to love her. I'm going to go and find Naruto and Shikamaru. The hospital has cleared up enough, so I can go back to the fight. I'm worried about those two," he said with concern. "That Gaara kid is a serious threat."

Shikaku nodded with his lips pursed. "You're right in that. The Ichibi is not something to ignore. Although weaker than the Kyūbi, it is stronger than some of the other bijū, such as the Sanbi," he pointed out. "We would need a couple of squads to restrain it."

Kotero agreed with a light grunt. Shikaku the genius already knew about the threat of the bijū. He knew it ever since Gaara's name was enlisted into the Chūnin exam roster.

In the myths and legends told by the various people of the world, it has been set in stone of the nine great bijū that roamed and overlooked the lands before they were sealed into humans for other purposes, that not all of them shared equal power.

The fierce Kyūbi was known to be the strongest followed by the Hachibi while the Rokubi was the weakest. The Rokubi was native to the Land of Water, despite it being the weakest of the nine, it was still powerful in its own right.

"We will need everything we have to stop it if it emerges, which I have no doubt that it will. I can restrain it back, but I think this time I'll need support to stop any collateral damage," Kotero said.

Shikaku nodded. "Yes, those chains of yours are really something else. Though, there is no guarantee that we will be able to stop it," he said. "Would you be willing to sacrifice your life to save the village?" he asked after.

Kotero sighed deeply. It was quite the heavy question. "My dream is to see Naruto become the Hokage. If I can't live to see it, I want to make damn sure I did everything in my power to make sure his head gets that hat. So yes, I'm prepared to die for this," he said without hesistation.

Kotero saw the closed eyes of Shikaku, the man was thinking. Moving his head beyond Shikaku, Kotero saw Inoichi and Chōza waiting for their Nara counterpart. The ultimate team were about to get back together.

Kotero rubbed his face with his hands and then ran his fingers through his crimson hair. His heart felt so heavy, as if it was being pulled down to the very centre of the world.

"This is my fault… If I didn't fight Kitsuchi and his Iwa squad all those years ago, all this destruction and death wouldn't have happened," he said with a struggle. "How could my actions bring so much chaos? Maybe it would've been better if I ran away or if I…"

Shikaku kept his eyes closed but he released a hard and loud grunt. Kotero turned his head and focused on he man in front of him. His arms were crossed, and he could see that the man was getting annoyed.

"Talking like that, it makes me angry," Shikaku said, surprising Kotero since the man was always cool-headed.

"If you ran away, you and your squad would have perished. If you let them kill you, you would have been pathetic in my eyes. My respect for you would have vanished if I learnt you did that. Harsh? I would agree, but dying that young is not the right ending for you Kotero. What you will do is face the consequences of your actions of the past. Prepare yourself for an onslaught after all this, but don't worry, I will stand beside you," he continued.

The air chilled and silence had taken over. Kotero was reeling through his memories, good and bad, dangerous and peaceful.

 _I love you._

Kotero flinched as he heard those words once again. A wonderful memory. The words were so soft, so warm, full of truth. He wished he could hear them once again, but he never will from that particular person. That's all it was, a memory. How glum.

"You're right. And it's still too early, I need to live until I see Naruto become Hokage. I need to live so I can have a family, my own family," Kotero said with new-found and growing confidence. "I'm going to fly."

"Are you going to go to the boys now?" Shikaku asked as he opened his eyes, they showed great worry.

Kotero nodded slowly with a smile on his face, not one of happiness but one to comfort the man in front of him.

"Of course, I need to make sure the two are safe. Don't worry, I will always have their backs," Kotero said with no deception in his voice.

Shikaku wryly smiled himself after he heard the words. "I know. And I know I said this before, but don't die out there. If any of you three died, Yoshino will cry and mourn for you for days. She loves you all dearly," he said.

"What if you died?" Kotero asked. He never imagined the outcome, but his curiosity got the better of him at that moment.

Shikaku groaned. "She'll probably celebrate at my funeral. I'm going now. I don't want you to die either," he said.

Shikaku turned around and joined up with Chōza and Inoichi, the three proceeded to jump away to deal with the remaining threats.

"Yeah… you too Shikaku, don't you dare die," Kotero murmured to himself.

The wind blew slowly through the hospital yard. It made Konoha seem calm, which was the complete opposite of what was actually happening.

"I know this is a huge shame for you, but a girl knows when she has to call it quits. I'm going to go back home now."

Kotero turned around to the familiar voice. "You decide to go now. Jeez, I will never understand women. Niko… be safe out there. Any ninja who sees you might try to kill you," he warned.

Niko crossed her arms under her chest and grinned at him. "And what will happen? They'll die before they even knew what happened. It might have been smart to bring Yuuto or Toroi, but they just make things difficult," she said with a huff.

Kotero walked away from her, walking backwards. "It was nice seeing you. Though, hopefully next time we talk, the situation isn't so dire," he said.

Niko nodded at him. "I hope so too. Though, keep your wits about you. I might be calling sooner than you think. You are important for one of my plans. I need someone that I can trust," she said.

' _Trust? Me? Ha, she's such a strange woman,_ ' Kotero thought. "Alright, you know where to find me then," he said afterwards.

"Don't worry, it won't be for a while. The 'Parade of the Snowflakes' is not around the corner just yet," Niko said, she swayed her hair back as she wrapped herself in a moss green cloak. Refocusing her eyes on Kotero, she smiled. "It'll determine the future in some shape or form."

Kotero narrowed his eyes. The Parade of Snowflakes was a special parade held every year in the Land of Frost, a rich but closed off nation northeast of the Land of Fire and south of the Land of Lightning.

It was a unique location where the Capital of the Land of Frost also held the stronghold for the ninja of that country.

Shimogakure was a hidden ninja village that was built inside the large city, carved into the large mountains that oversee the city below them. It was a fortress that nobody dared to enter

' _She must be planning something big,_ ' Kotero thought. ' _And I'm a part of it. I know it's going to be a load of sh-_ '

"I can't wait for it," Kotero said with sarcasm. "The Nadeshiko village really made a mistake in letting you run away like that. You're one of the most powerful kunoichi I know. It's scary to think about," he said.

Niko furrowed her eyebrows; her expression showed her annoyance. She turned around and walked towards the perimeter of Konoha. It was her time to leave this hellhole.

"You promised never to say that name. I really do tell you too much. That village… they have their priorities out of order. After all, they ignored me and my dear Kaa-san, even after all that she went through just to get us into _that_ village," she said in a hiss.

She breathed slowly while turning her head, her calm blue eyes refocused on Kotero. "Kotero, I will see you again," Niko said with a wink, before disappearing from Kotero's eyes.

Her presence was gone, it completely vanished. Kotero cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Time to pay back these bastards, Naruto wait for me."

* * *

 **Eastern Forest**

With his hands in the Ram hand seal position, Naruto waited for the perfect time to start. Looking between Shikamaru and Pakkun, he smiled at them. "Let's get the show on the road, shall we?" he said.

Naruto moulded his chakra and remotely activated the explosive tags that surrounded the Oto tracking squad.

 **Boom! Boom! Boom!**

Small explosions occurred all around the Oto ninja. The eight man squad looked in all different directions.

"Who set off the trap!?" the leader shouted out to his squad. His voice carried deep anger with every word he spoke.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Pakkun stayed still, all their hard work would go to waste if they got caught at that moment. Each pair of eyes were watching the eight men and women scamper around in sheer confusion.

It didn't take long until new visitors arrived.

"Oto? I thought they would have all been killed off now. Maybe Konoha are actually as weak as I thought," the voice of a teenage girl said.

The Oto tracking squad and Naruto's makeshift team looked to the source of the voice. Naruto scanned for details.

Naruto saw that the teenage girl was wearing a standard Jōnin Iwa shinobi outfit. She wasn't tall, only just a head taller than Naruto.

What truly caught his eyes were the kunoichi's strange but pretty pink eyes. They were so strange, so unique. Her short black hair moved with the breeze, the sleeves of her outfit moved with it as well.

She was alone, Naruto was wondering where the other three members were at. He knew never to doubt the nose of one of Kakashi's dog summons. They had to be hiding, there was no other option.

"Maybe we ought to teach you a lesson, girl. Come on men, let's not pull any punches," the Oto ninja squad leader said.

The girl with the pink eyes smiled devilishly. "You guys just made a big mistake. Never underestimate me, the granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage," she said as she weaved through hand seals, starting with Tiger and finishing on Rat.

The teenage girl spewed out a black thick substance which wrapped around all eight of her targets, disabling their movements.

By focusing on her chakra after the technique was casted, she manipulated the black substance, so it thickened and became hard. The black substance looked and acted like cement, it covered every Oto ninja from neck to toe.

"What is this?" a trapped Oto ninja shouted out.

The girl smirked. "Experience my bloodline limit, famous from Iwagakure, the **Lave Release**. Too bad I have to end this now," she said as she focused more of her chakra.

The black cement moved and covered the faces of all eight of the Oto ninja. Naruto shivered once he heard the suffocating screams.

The girl was ruthless to the core. He had to commend her however, she took out eight ninja in one move all by herself. She was strong, just like another girl with a bloodline limit that he knows of.

Three other Iwa ninja jumped to her side, all male. Naruto could already tell that she was the leader of the small squad, he would assume that they were the clean-up squad. A squad to take out any strays or ninja that ran away.

"Nice one Kurotsuchi, as expected from our leader," one of the Iwa ninja said.

Naruto saw that he appeared older than the girl Kurotsuchi, as well as the other two. She must be very powerful if she had this much respect from her squad.

' _Or maybe it's just because she's the granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage,_ ' Naruto thought.

Shikamaru and Pakkun looked between Naruto and the Iwa squad, hounding for some type of direction.

"Naruto, what should we do?" Shikamaru whispered close to Naruto's ear.

Naruto moved his head to a better position. The branches in the crown of the tree made it hard to communicate.

"She's a VIP target. We cannot kill her, we can use her against Iwa if we do this right. Pakkun, you stay still. Shikamaru… get all four of them with your shadow possession jutsu, we only have one shot, but if we do this right we can take them out easily," Naruto ordered.

Shikamaru nodded and formed the Rat hand seal, his shadow grew with the tree's and it stretched slowly to the four shadows created by Kurotsuchi's squad. Shikamaru focused and split his shadow into four parts, making them attach themselves to the ends of the Iwa squad's shadows.

Naruto jumped down and took out a kunai out of his leg holster.

"What the hell? I can't move a muscle!" Kurotsuchi said with anger and confusion. She heard something right behind her, yet she couldn't even turn around to see what it was.

Naruto gripped his kunai, so the ring was at the end of his hand. He didn't waste time, striking the side of each of the male Iwa ninja's heads at the temple area of their skulls.

Shikamaru controlled his shadows with each strike so their bodies fell with each knockout. It was a bit of a struggle for the short ninja, the Iwa ninja were all fully grown men, Naruto had to hop up to actually hit them.

The last one was Kurotsuchi, who was gritting her teeth. "You will pay for this," she hissed. "Iwa ninja will show the world that they're the strongest. Stronger than Kumogakure, stronger than Konoha."

Naruto gripped his kunai harder. His eyes glared at the back of her head. "I don't care. All there is to this is that Iwa made a big mistake. You and your village will regret this… and for a very long time," he said. His words carried themselves with a serious tone. Naruto was mad.

Kurotsuchi smirked, despite her terrible situation. "Iwa never forgets. First the Yondaime Hokage, then that Crimson scum. Killing our ninja, our pride. We will have our day, Iwa will have her glory," she said with total confidence and pride.

Naruto grunted. "Your words… 'Crimson scum'. I don't know how to feel about that," he said. "I don't like it when people bad mouth my Nii-chan."

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened. "Nii-chan!?"

Next thing Kurotsuchi saw was a black abyss and she was pulled hard down into it. Her body became numb and she lost all control of her limbs and senses. Nothing was perceived, nothing was seen.

Naruto placed his kunai back into his holster and took out his thick coil of ninja wire. He watched as Shikamaru's shadow jutsu disengaged out of Kurotsuchi's shadow and her body fall over to its side lifelessly.

Naruto made sure not to hit any of the four too hard. A serious concussion could lead to memory loss or even damage to the brain. He knew these four ninja, Kurotsuchi in particular will become great bargaining chips in the aftermath discussions with Iwagakure. They needed some leverage over that village and Naruto's actions were the answer to them.

Shikamaru and Pakkun jumped down to join Naruto. "Nice work Naruto. I don't think I have any energy left to use my shadow possession jutsu anymore. Those four were really pushing me to my limits, she was really strong," he pointed out. "She was harder to keep still than the other three combined!"

" **She is the granddaughter of the current Tsuchikage. She would need to be strong,** " Pakkun said. " **You two made great combination moves to capture this team**."

Naruto nodded his head. "If we didn't do the first trap, this would have been impossible. Shikamaru's shadow jutsu are really handy for these types of situations ya know. If I didn't have him here, I might have died already," he admitted.

Shikamaru grew a small smile. "Naruto, I'm only one half. I do the setting up and you're the finisher," he said.

The leaves ruffled, the three turned around and an Oto ninja came out with a tantō ready to strike at Shikamaru. All three had completely forgotten about the ninth Oto tracker, letting their success over the trap and the capture of Kurotsuchi fog up their senses.

Naruto unsheathed Silver from its sheath and hunched forward, he was prepared for the strong attack that was about to come Shikamaru's way. He would protect Shikamaru with his life.

 **CRASH!**

A man in a dark Konoha flak jacket came out of thin air and smashed a trench knife on the Oto ninja's spine, the knife embedded itself in the middle of the Oto ninja's cervical region.

The Oto ninja stood no chance and died on the spot. The Konoha ninja pulled out his trench knife and looked Naruto and Shikamaru with a wry smile, his cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.

"It's good to see you two safe. I was worried," Asuma said as puts away his trench knives. Spitting out his used cigarette, he grounded it with his foot and replaced it with a fresh cigarette. "You dropped the ball there, big time."

Asuma blew smoke into Shikamaru's face after he lit his cigarette. Shikamaru waved the smoke out of his face and had a scowl on his face.

"Naruto would have taken care of it," Shikamaru said frowning.

Asuma laughed. "This is no laughing matter Shikamaru. You could have gotten killed. Though, it was always my role to save you, you are my student after all. Good work on those Iwa ninja there. We can get an ANBU squad to pick them up and place them in confinement," he said, his hand moved to one of his many pouches on his rear.

Naruto scratched his cheek after wiping the sweat from his face. ' _Says it's no laughing matter, but then laughs himself. Some people!'_ he thought with a sigh.

Naruto then focused his eyes onto Asuma. "How are you going to do that?" he asked.

Asuma took out a cylindrical red object and aimed it to the sky. He pulled on the end and a large bang occurred.

Green mist fumed out of the top and a bright light launched itself into the air. It then cracked and popped into a larger light once it reached a certain height.

"A flare?" Naruto said. "Aren't you afraid that the enemies will know where we are then?" he asked after.

Asuma shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. The enemy forces were mainly just Oto ninja. We got reports that only a small army of three hundred Iwa ninja came in without alerting any of the security systems. Suna brought along much more, but they stayed behind most of the Oto ninja. ANBU are going around Konoha, cleaning up and killing off the enemies. They will see this and collect the work you did," he said. "Don't worry, you two did really good here."

"Only three hundred Iwa ninja?" Shikamaru said. "That's such a low number to have to invade Konoha. They would need a lot more to actually take over Konoha."

"But that's not their objective Shikamaru," the voice of Kotero said, coming to the scene after jumping from the trees. "All they wanted was to inflict as much damage as possible and to kill me. Nothing more than that. If you haven't noticed already, most of their attacks have been focusing on the buildings and services in Konoha, as well as the perimeter walls. Their mission objective of eliminating the academy students failed, so now they're mainly avoiding any conflict with other ninja."

"What does that mean then for us?" Naruto asked.

Asuma looked down to Naruto to answer. "It means that we have to repair everything and it's going to cost a lot of money. And I mean a lot! If they killed Kotero here, then we would have lost a great force in our military power as well," he said.

"Asuma, you're making me blush," Kotero said.

"But he is right. The damage Konoha just received is devasting. It might be better to demolish and reconstruct rather than repair at this point. So many Earth ninjutsu moves have been used that some houses and buildings have already fallen to the ground," he continued while having a look at the sleeping Iwa ninja by his feet.

Kotero then looked back up to the group. "Iwa were smart, they used Orochimaru and his Suna allies to hide behind while they did their own job to destroy Konoha. If they did this on any other day, they would have all gotten themselves killed. Massacred even. But now, they had the advantage and completely took everyone by surprise," he continued. "Fuck…"

Kotero looked around and saw Sasuke wasn't with Naruto, Shikamaru and Pakkun. "Kakashi must have sent you Pakkun, have you picked up Sasuke's scent yet?" he asked.

Pakkun shook his head. " **No. Sasuke has a similar smell to cats yet I can't sniff anything like that here,** " he said.

Kotero nodded. "That isn't good. Genma ordered Sasuke to go after Gaara and the Suna siblings. Maybe try to sniff out normal or contaminated sand nearby," he said.

Pakkun sighed. " **I'll try, but I don't have much experience with sand.** **Wait… What's that?** " the dog said.

"Is it Sasuke?" Naruto asked quickly.

Pakkun moved his nose close to the ground, he began to sniff more and more. " **It could be. This smell is familiar. It could be him, it's worth a shot to look into it**."

"Come on then!" Naruto said walking in Pakkun's direction. "The longer we wait, the more likely Sasuke will get killed!"

In that second Pakkun lead the pack, Naruto was already hot on his tail.

Shikamaru groaned. "Jeez, he's become so much more troublesome since these exams have come," he complained. "Acting like he's the boss."

Kotero laughed and walked over to Shikamaru's side. "He's right though, Naruto is showing off his leadership right now Shikamaru. Maybe you should take a page out of his book."

"Shut up Aniki," Shikamaru grumbled with the cross of his arms.

Asuma jumped onto the tall, green tree in front of them and then blew out smoke. "They're getting well ahead of us now," he said. "Let's go."

Asuma, Kotero and Shikamaru jumped up to the trees and leapt from branch to branch, following the tracks and path of Naruto. It didn't take them long to catch up to the energetic blond. Naruto was purposely going slow, so they could catch up. He had some common sense in his head despite being very impatient.

"Pakkun, keep on point. I'm right behind you. Shikamaru, go on my rear. Nii-chan, Asuma, go on either side," Naruto called out.

The others were surprised by the calls but nonetheless complied. Kotero grinned once he got onto Naruto's left side.

' _How absurd? Giving out orders as a Genin to two Jōnin. Oh Naruto, I don't think I can love you anymore!'_ he thought.

The group jumped from tree to tree, closing towards the central area of the vast and dense Eastern Forest. It didn't take long for the team to hear the cackle of fierce lightning in the air.

"There's Sasuke! What the hell is that thing!?" Naruto yelled out, seeing Sasuke covered in his own blood, on his knees panting hard.

All five pairs of eyes looked at Sasuke's enemy. It was an abomination, a creature covered in sand with blue markings, and a red mark with the kanji of 'love' marked on the left side of its forehead.

"That must be Gaara. He's partially transformed, be careful guys," Kotero warned, already having experience with Yagura's version two of the bijū transformations, this was no joke.

"Naruto, Shikamaru, grab Sasuke and pull out. We'll handle this," Asuma ordered, his words were serious.

"Pakkun! Get yourself the hell outta here right now!" Kotero said loudly as he prepared himself for his future onslaught.

" **You don't need to tell me twice!** " Pakkun roared at them before puffing away and leaving a cloud of smoke.

The two Genin nodded jumped quickly across the branches, getting closer to Sasuke. Asuma and Kotero jumped in a different direction but were still close. The situation was turning to their favour.

" **THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE TAKING MY PREY AWAY FROM ME!** " the partially transformed Gaara shouted in rage.

Sand erupted from the ground and from Gaara's own body. Reaching towards the sky, reaching tower heights. Smoke came out of the smoke and blue lines formed, they were growing all around the new body.

Asuma, Kotero, Naruto and Shikamaru had to jump away from the force of the transformation. Gaara's transformation as destroying trees and everything else that was around him.

Kotero stared at the bijū with awe. "They really can be the ultimate weapons of mass destruction. Fuck me!" he cursed out.

Kotero looked around him and saw Naruto rubbing the back of his head, he was pushed away from the force and his body smashed into the trunk of the tree.

"Naruto! Get up and look for Sasuke, he must have gotten blown away from the force. We'll hold him back, just find him!" Kotero shouted.

Naruto could see the worry in his eyes, this has gone from bad to worse.

The smoke was clearing, and the titanic footsteps of the Ichibi were heard. A colossus of sand came out and was showing its mighty glare.

"Oh shit! It's already here," Kotero said.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Naruto yelled.

Kotero jumped to Naruto's branch. "That is the Ichibi. The bijū sealed in Gaara. That is a creature that is somehow related to your Kyūbi and the other bijū. Now is not the time to gawk at it, we need to stop it," he said before jumping to the other trees to get a better angle.

An idea flashed through Naruto's mind. It was time to showcase a jutsu that he learnt from Jiraiya, a signature move found in any of the members in the Legendary Sannin's library.

Naruto put his thumb to his mouth and bit into it hard, blood flowed from the cut and covered the thumb skin. As Naruto spreads the blood across his palm, he focused and moulded as much chakra as he could, he needed assistance and this assistance didn't come without a price.

 **SHAKE!**

Naruto lost his balance slightly on his branch and looked around. The whole ground shook violently. Almost exactly like an earthquake. Naruto looked up to the Ichibi, Shukaku, and saw it was also looking around.

" **I'm finally out! I have so many things I want to kill!** " Shukaku shouted. Naruto noticed the key difference in the voices, not only just by the sounds. This voice belonged to someone who found the joy in killing and destruction for the fun of it.

"Oyabun, I'm going to need your help," Naruto said. "Just wait till I get you here to fight."

 **CRACK!**

The earth ripped open in half, a colossal split was made in the forest. One arm reached and grabbed the earth, another came out soon after.

Naruto and the others watched with wide eyes. _'What the hell is going on now!?'_ was the thought that was running through all their minds.

The body that owned those humongous arms pulled itself out. It was a creature of the same size, but instead of a tanuki, it was a large ape with massive horns and blunt fangs.

A red furred and green-skinned ape had appeared, and its eyes were focusing on Shukaku. Its four tails waved around in the air.

The Yonbi has emerged from the depths of the earth. These are a strange set of events.

" **Shukaku. What the!? Why are you here!?** ," the Yonbi said. The expression its face suggested that it was truly surprised to see Shukaku out in the wild.

Shukaku narrowed his eyes and pointed its right claw at the Yonbi. " **The second I get out, I have to deal with an ape like you. Son Gokū, why the hell are you here!?** " Shukaku shouted. The ground shook from the tanuki's violent voice.

The Yonbi jumped back and raised his fists. " **Look, I don't want to fight you. Myself and my Jinchūriki were sent here on a mission,** " Son Gokū said. " **We can do our own business without getting in each other's way**."

Shukaku laughed loudly, the menacing laugh was heard all over Konoha. " **I don't give two shits about what you want. I'm doing what I want to do and that's final. And I want to kill! You're included,** " Shukaku shouted.

Shukaku turned around back to the direction where Asuma, Kotero, Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru all should be located. Shukaku sucked in a massive amount of air and its belly expanded, just like a balloon.

Naruto, who was on a branch, had no idea what to do. Two of the nine bijū were in Konoha, both here to wreak havoc. Two of some of the most powerful entities could easily turn Konoha into a pile of ash. All he wanted to do was run away.

Naruto felt his collar being gripped and being pulled away from a strong force. He was taken off his feet and wrapped up in strong arms. His body then felt an incredible increase in movement speed. He and whoever was carrying him were sprinting away from the two titans of destruction.

Naruto smelled the familiar scent of his home. He looked up and saw the serious face of Kotero, his eyes were screaming of worry. The two were going through the forest at unimaginable speeds.

"Nii-chan! What about the others?" Naruto asked in a shout.

Kotero didn't answer straight away as he jumped to new branches. Once he landed, he started to talk. "Asuma and Shikamaru are right behind us. I can sense them," Kotero jumped again and started to run in straighter paths, "Right now, they're following in our slipstream. Don't talk, let me focus on us getting out of here!" he said.

Naruto closed his mouth, he didn't need to add on any trouble to his or Kotero's worries.

The sound of fierce winds came and blew through the trees, uprooting them out of the ground. Kotero lost his balance and was pushed by the amazing sheer force generated by the wind created by Shukaku. The tanuki really wanted them dead it seemed.

Kotero saw that he and Naruto were flying towards the trunk of a tree. He knew it was a lost cause, but he positioned himself the best he could, so he would take the brunt of the force.

 **CRASH!**

Kotero and Naruto smacked into the trunk of an old tree. There was a large crack made in the elder plant. Kotero dropped Naruto and hissed in pain.

"Fuck! My shoulder! Fuck me that hurts," Kotero said through gritted teeth. Adrenaline flowed through his veins, it was the only thing stopping him from swearing to the ends of hell. He knew what happened to his shoulder, there was a nasty dislocation.

' _Bless our Uzumaki genes. We got strong bodies for strong blows,_ ' Kotero thought in slight agony.

Grabbing his right wrist with his left hand, he rolled his shoulder and connected it back together haphazardly. He quickly flowed medical chakra to his shoulder, focusing around the joint.

Kotero quickly stood up and shook his arm around, Naruto was watching with worried eyes. "It'll do for now," Kotero said. "We need to get out of here or else we'll be killed."

"What are you talking about!?" Naruto yelled at him. "We have to stop them before they destroy Konoha."

Kotero rubbed his face and his eyes focused on Naruto. "Do you not understand that those two are insanely powerful!?" he shouted.

"You stopped the Sanbi when you were gone, can't you at least try Nii-chan!?" Naruto yelled out.

Kotero grabbed Naruto's collar and ran towards the town centre of Konoha once again. "The Sanbi is an entirely different case. The Yondaime Mizukage was under a genjutsu according to Mei. I don't know if she has all her facts straight, but Yagura wasn't acting human at all. The Sanbi wasn't at its full potential. The Ichibi and Yonbi are stronger, and they're together at the same place. I can't stop them, the only one I can think of that can would be Senju Hashirama," he said as he ran through the trees, holding onto Naruto as tight as he could.

The dose of reality shocked Naruto, he wasn't thinking straight, and he let his feelings get the better of him.

Naruto grunted in annoyance, not directed at Kotero, but at himself, the whole day has gone to shit since the attack has started.

Everything that Konoha was, everything that it stood for was being buried into the ashes. There was one gleam of hope, they can rebuild from this, make it better than ever before. All they had to do now was survive and push out the threats.

Kotero eventually dropped Naruto from his grips and both brothers ran towards the centre of Konoha. The epic battle between two bijū was happening right behind their backs at that moment. Tremors were felt every few seconds from the two mighty pairs of feet of the bijū moving about the Eastern Forest.

"There's Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted as he blitzed his way to his friend, who was hissing in pain.

Kotero and Naruto landed beside Asuma and Shikamaru. Asuma was holding up Shikamaru's left ankle, it was clearly twisted. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Shikamaru's ankle was actually fractured.

Shikamaru gritted his teeth. "Damn! It really hurts," he groaned in agony.

"Is there anything we can do here?" Asuma asked Kotero.

Kotero shook his head. "Yes, but we risk of getting caught up in those huge attacks. It'll be better if we move to the hospital and put him in their care. Asuma, give Shikamaru a piggy-back ride," he said.

Asuma picked up Shikamaru carefully and rested the boy on his back, holding onto his legs with a firm grip. He certainly didn't want his student to fall off as they travelled.

Naruto saw that Kotero lead the pack and he himself was at the rear. It was so natural, the positioning made sense as well. Asuma and Shikamaru were now incapacitated with Shikamaru's ankle injury.

With Kotero in the front and Naruto at the back, it gave the group the maximum amount of safety they could create.

They exited through the forest, the town of Konoha were in their sights. The pack were close to the Konoha hospital, running as fast as they could.

Kotero turned his head back to see if the two bijū were still brawling. It was no surprise that they were, with the Yonbi jumping around the Ichibi, the sand tanuki was growing more infuriated by the second.

Kotero and Naruto ran onto the streets with Asuma and Shikamaru between them.

"We'll split off once we reach the hospital. You two can go to the Hokage tower and wait until one of them have gone down to their knees," Asuma ordered. "Going against both will be suicide."

Kotero nodded. "Good plan," he said. "It's not much… What the fu-"

 **BANG!**

Kotero was smacked hard on his right cheekbone by a sparkling fist. He was blown off his feet from the blunt force and flew into the building beside him, making the walls collapse on top of his body. The house that was barely standing was now a heaping pile of rubble.

"Nii-chan!" Naruto yelled in worry. His eyes looked up to see a man in Iwa ninja clothing. It was a man of average height, he had toned muscles.

Naruto saw that his left arm was covered by some transparent material. The shaggy brown hair with the shaved sides made him look menacing. Naruto was wondering who the hell this guy was.

The man looked at his left hand, which was covered by the now blood-stained transparent material. It was blood belonging to Kotero. He then clenched his fist and grunted. "He's not dead yet," he said, "Uzumaki Kotero, come out now so I can kill you already."

"Kotero! Get your ass out of there and beat this guy. I'm taking Shikamaru to the hospital," Asuma said as he ran around and away from the new fight by jumping onto the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.

Naruto looked closely at the man's arm. He has never seen anything like it before. The material looked extremely hard, like a diamond.

There was one thing that Naruto noticed, the man didn't even register him as a danger. The man's eyes haven't acknowledged him at all.

Naruto gasped, and a memory passed through his mind.

 _I heard something like that he is a foreign ninja that can make diamonds from his chakra. Pretty neat right?_

' _That man in the Ramen bar in the capital said something about this guy. So, he's the man that can make diamonds from his chakra. This is some bloodline limit bullshit,'_ Naruto thought.

Kotero came out of a pile of rubble, his clothes from head to toe word torn up. Blood was leaking from all over him. Small and shallow cuts covered his skin. He wasn't far off the image of a demon. The ruined outfit would need to go to the bin, but first he had to deal with this strong Iwa ninja.

Kotero saw his blood on the man's arm, over the diamond gauntlet. He took out a kunai that he saved from when he was at the academy earlier on. Looking between them, they were made from the same type of material.

"You must be this Crua guy that I've heard so many good things about," Kotero said after putting away the diamond kunai. "So, you've awakened your abilities, huh?"

The man smiled. "Yup, that's me. It seemed that my subordinates talked a bit too much about me but yes, I have awakened my powers," Crua said. "With this power as well, I will kill you."

' _Awakened his powers? What does that mean?_ ' Naruto thought as he looked between the two men, staring daggers at each other.

Kotero rubbed his right cheekbone, it was in a lot of pain. He hissed at the sensitivity when he lightly poked it. He was sure there was going to be a lovely shiner appearing soon. He'll need to apply medical chakra to it to make sure the swelling goes down quickly.

Refocusing on Crua, he knew he had to kill this man. He has brought so much destruction and terror to Konoha. To Kotero, that was simply unforgiveable. It was destroying his and his little brother's dream.

Kotero cracked his knuckles. "You're not the one who's going to kill me. I'm the one going to kill you," he said. His hands were already weaving through hand seals for a heavy duty jutsu. His hands ended on the had seal of Bird and Kotero leaned back whilst moulding his chakra.

' _ **Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!**_ _'_ Kotero thought as water shot out of his mouth at a rapid pace and transformed into the head of a water dragon. Its glowing yellow eyes hunted down Crua.

Crua formed the Ram and then Snake hand seal before quickly slamming his open palms to the ground. Diamond rose out of the ground and shaped itself around him in a dome.

The water dragon came and slammed into the dome, however it was completely dissipated, Kotero switched hand seals and formed the tiger hand seal to focus the water into a water jet. He hunched forward and pulled back his left arm, making the water travel faster and hit harder. Yet it changed nothing, the diamond dome nullified Kotero's attack entirely.

Naruto watched as the dome stayed intact and no damage was done to it. He saw that Kotero released his jutsu and breathed in some fresh air.

Naruto couldn't let himself lose control and rush in. If Kotero was struggling with this man, there was no hope in hell he was going to stand a chance.

Naruto grew annoyed from his lack of strength. He grew so much stronger since leaving after the preliminaries, yet he was not strong enough to stop the destruction of Konoha or help his brother.

The dome shattered into microscopic pieces and then Crua stood up from his crouching. Neither man were winded nor tired from their respective jutsu. However, Kotero looked worse for wear, the damage from Shukaku's wind attack and Crua's introductory punch didn't help at all for this fight.

Taking the initiative, Kotero rushed into Crua's personal space with his fists ready. It didn't take him long to start an array of jabs and swings. Crua dodged and deflected them. Kotero started to mix things up as he started to use his legs for kicks.

Crua was enjoying the fight, the man in front of him was strong, and he was only going to get stronger. It has been so long for the Iwa Jōnin to feel the heavy pumping of his heart, it was the thrill he has been waiting for.

All of sudden, the back of Kotero's left heel was coming towards the left side of his face with incredible speed. Crua noticed the astronomical change in pace of the fight.

They were on equal speeds at one moment, but Kotero has completely flashed through his guard and has a well-earned kick aimed to his face. He was wondering the hell happened! He needed to act fast or he might not have a head anymore.

 **CRACK!**

Kotero's left heel hit something, and something extremely hard. He retracted his foot and somersaulted backwards to make some distance between the him and Crua.

Observing closely, he saw diamond formed around Crua's left shoulder and the left side of his face. Kotero shook his left foot to ease the pain. Even though there were cracks in the diamond, the chakra diamonds were still very hard and held up from the damage.

Crua smirked while dusting off his shoulder. "Ouch," he said sarcastically. "That was sore."

Kotero gnashed his teeth. This guy in front of him was something else. Being a quick thinker, a plan slipped into his mind and he gave no second thoughts for it, he was already in action.

His hands were already in motion weaving through the hand seals. Starting with Ram and ending it with Bird, Kotero smacked his palms to the ground.

Crua saw that Kotero was moulding chakra for a large jutsu once again, he repeated his actions from before and recreated his diamond dome for his protection.

Kotero pumped his water chakra into the crowd and imagined a point to focus on within the diamond dome.

' _ **Uzumaki Hidden-jutsu, Water release: Violent whirlpool,**_ ' he thought with a wild grin on his face. His blood was pumping hard, despite the horror picture show happening all around him, the battle he was fighting was one he was loving.

"Naruto!" Kotero called out. "This is going to get messy. Go to the Hokage Tower and I'll meet you there!"

Naruto nodded with a grin. "Alright! You better get back there safe Nii-chan!" he said before flying off towards the centre of Konoha once again.

Crua kept his hands to the ground and waited patiently for Kotero's jutsu. By the sound of it, it sounded destructive.

"Show me your power that scares our grumpy old man Uzumaki Kotero. I want to know what keeps him up at night," he said with his own smile.

' _There's just about enough water to trap and kill him,_ ' Kotero thought with a growing grin. Crua trapped himself with that dome of his. It will be the end of him.

Crua looked down to the ground and saw it darkening and spinning in a circle. It became darker and darker, it spun faster and faster. He then saw water burst out of the ground that he was on. Crua looked ahead through his diamond dome and saw Kotero grinning at him.

The fusion of the dirt and water made a whirlpool, and Crua was getting sucked in. Kotero expected Crua to freak out, but yet the man was as calm as ever.

"You couldn't have expected that only doing this would have killed me?" Crua asked as he flowed through hand seals ending with Boar. He placed his hands on the ground once again and a diamond column rose out of the ground after his diamond dome shattered into pieces. "As long as there is carbon somewhere around me, I will have the ultimate defence!"

Kotero cursed himself, he thought he had Crua trapped and close to Death's door. However, the Iwa bastard was too smart and resourceful to die so soon.

Kotero stood up and dusted his hands. The fight had taken a strange turn. The reason was because both men sensed a team nearby. Neither could tell at that moment if it was Iwa or Konoha support.

"It seems the next few moments will decide our fate. It might be best not to hold anything back from you," Kotero said.

Crua nodded. "Ignore them, they're not part of our fight. Reo told me about your power. Those chains. Come on and use them against me, it is disrespectful if you don't use your blood's power against me while I use mine against you," he said.

Kotero grunted. Four chains grew out of his back and stayed close to him. The golden aura radiated power and control.

Crua grinned from the sight of the mythical chains. The image of a demon came into his sight. With his high excitement, Crua covered his body in diamond armour. His arms covered themselves with diamond gauntlets. There were spikes at the end to inflict devasting damage to any foe he strikes.

In the eyes of one, he was justice and the other was destruction. It was the same in the eyes of the second. The only way to decide who was right or wrong was through a battle to the death. As it always has been in the tainted world they lived in.

Kotero watched the man in front of him with careful eyes. He had no information about him bar Crua having the bloodline limit of the **Diamond Release** and that he's a powerful shinobi for Iwagakure.

To him, this man was an Elite Jōnin. Kotero slightly flinched when he saw Crua turning his body to the right and then him form a circular disc from the palm of his left hand.

 **CLING! CLING! CLING! CLING!**

Multiple kunai were thrown at Crua and his disc protected him from the projectile attacks. The sharpened tips of the kunai broke off as the diamond was harder than steel. Crua shattered his diamond disc and looked back to Kotero.

Kotero saw four members of ANBU appear around him, he was confused on why. They should be finding another ninja to fight, not supporting him.

There was only one chakra signature that he was familiar with. He looked to the ANBU member in front of him and saw long purple hair.

' _Yūgao… I never expected to see her here… This is bad,'_ Kotero thought while shaking his head. He was annoyed.

The challenge of facing Crua was making his Uzumaki blood excited. Now, it was ruined by Yūgao's ANBU squad. It was selfish of him to want to fight alone, but he had to remember that there was an invasion going on.

Crua was annoyed as well, however he made it known. "What the fuck is this? Five on one! I didn't sign up for this," he said. "I'm getting the fuck out of here. Mark my words Uzumaki Kotero, Iwa will have your blood."

Crua's jumped off his diamond column and started to make his way back to his comrades.

An ANBU soldier wearing the mask of the Toad took out his tantō and ran his way to Crua. "No, we will have your blood!"

Kotero focused on the scene. "Gama! Get the hell out of here! He's way too much for you! Yūgao, get him back here!" he yelled at her.

Yūgao who was wearing a mask of the cat stood up and took out her katana blade. "We won't let anyone who threatens Konoha escape freely. That is one of our codes," she said in a monotone voice.

' _Yūgao is not thinking straight. She's still grieving. God damnit!'_ Kotero thought as he made his way to try and stop the frog masked ANBU from going to his doom.

Crua narrowed his eyes on the ANBU coming his way. "Jeez, I never get the break I want," he said. He pulled back his arms after he made the Snake hand seal. Diamond morphed itself rapidly around his left and right arms.

Kotero skidded to a stop once he saw the grin on Crua's face. It was too late. The ANBU was already gone from this world.

A large lance pierced through the gut of the ANBU soldier. All of his internal organs were decimated by the long and large weapon. His blood and organs were churned out by the single pierce of the diamond lance.

" **Diamond Release: Weapons Creation** ," Crua said with a dark grin and eyes.

Kotero scanned the body of the now dead ANBU and Crua. After Crua pulled out his diamond lance and released it from his arm, he revealed a diamond shield that wrapped itself around his right forearm. Crua ripped it off his arm and threw it to the feet of the remaining ANBU and Kotero.

"A souvenir for you," Crua said before forming the Snake hand seal once again and slamming his foot to the ground, making an earth wall rise up.

Kotero jumped from his spot to land to the top of the wall. He looked down and saw that Crua has completely vanished. He couldn't tell if Crua used an earth ninjutsu or just ran to escape. However, the bastard had escaped their grips after killing one of their own.

Kotero looked at the ANBU squad looking at Frog, the frog mask wearing ANBU.

' _Shit. Fucking shit!_ ' Kotero thought with anger.

Yūgao and her two alive ANBU comrades hid the body of the Toad ANBU and then jumped onto the rooftops, running to the next encounter. Their mission hadn't ended.

Kotero shook his head and looked to the far distance. Where the Hokage tower should be was a large and thick smoke cloud. "Naruto is waiting for me. Better not keep him annoyed, now should I?"

* * *

 **~ Naruto's Seal ~**

"They're destroying everything," Naruto said as he watched the two bijū fight from a far distance.

" **Ha. Are you depressed? Angry? Infuriated? Why not let me lend you some of my power, huh? Like last time in your training when you summoned that fat ugly toad** ," the voice of the Kyūbi said.

Naruto turned his head to look around him. The voice came out of nowhere. "Kyūbi?"

" **Idiot. I'm inside you. I'm talking to you from behind the gate** ," the Kyūbi said again.

Before he even realised it, Naruto was pulled down into his seal. A mental link was created between the consciousnesses of Naruto and the Kyūbi.

"Oh? Why didn't you ever talk to me before?" Naruto asked.

" **Because I didn't want to. However, I can always see the good and the bad in these situations. Those two are weaker than me. I can give you my power to help you. You're desperate, you need it** ," the Kyūbi said.

Naruto shook his head. "Fat chance. Kyūbi, you're smart. But I'm even smarter. I know you want to break out of my seal, and you lending me your power like that isn't going to help. Don't call Gamabunta an fat ugly toad. Oyabun is awesome. And no, I don't need your power."

" **You don't need my power you say. But you needed it for that child you fought earlier today. Are you saying he is stronger than the bijū?** " the Kyūbi asked.

Naruto stayed quiet. He didn't reply at all.

" **I thought as much. Fine, you won't use my power, but you will in the future. I can't wait for the day when you grovel on your knees once again, like you did during your training with that toad man** ," the Kyūbi said with a horrifying laugh.

 **~ o0o ~**

* * *

 **Hokage Tower**

The connection between Naruto and the Kyūbi closed. All his attention now was focused on the fight between the two bijū.

From his eyes, it looked like the Yonbi was dominating the fight. The ape kept jumping around the forest, spewing out lava and heavy punches onto the Ichibi.

Shukaku was a strong tanuki with a lot up its sleeve, however it was simply too slow to keep up with Son Gokū.

However, the Ichibi had a devious mind. Using his slow movement, he tricked the Yonbi into moving to his openside. Yet, this was what Shukaku wanted.

With the swing of his only but mighty thick tail, Shukaku smacked the Yonbi straight into the chest, causing the Yonbi to skid back in pain.

 **SHAKE!**

The actions of the large beings were creating pseudo earthquakes that were destroying the village.

Naruto looked away from the fight and around the streets of Konoha. Through the destruction and rubble, he was searching for any sign of Kotero. Every minute that passed, Naruto's worry grew. He knew he should have faith in his older brother's strength and skill.

Usually he would have total confidence in them and not worry about Kotero's safety one bit. However, the Iwa Jōnin with his diamond powers was no ordinary ninja. He was stronger than most enemies, most people in fact.

"Naruto. Get down here."

Naruto looked down to the streets and saw the torn and bloody body of Kotero looking straight up to him. Kotero's hand was healing the spot where he was punched hard.

Naruto jumped down and landed in front of Kotero, his eyes carried great worry with them.

"Nii-chan, you look awful," Naruto said. "Did you kill the man with the diamonds?" he asked after.

Kotero huffed and shook his head. He had a grim look on his face. "No. He's too strong to be killed so quickly. Instead, he killed one of our ANBU and ran away to the rest of his army. Crua… he's going to be a problem for us in the future," Kotero said.

"Oh," Naruto said. This was not the result he was expecting at all. "You can get him next time!" he encouraged.

"How pathetic," a new voice said.

Both Kotero and Naruto turned towards the base of the Hokage tower, in their sights was an elderly man with bandages covering his face. Naruto has never seen this man before in his life, yet his body told him to stay away from the man.

"Danzō!?" Kotero said with surprise. "Why are you on the battlefield?"

Kotero looked behind Danzō after he spoke his words. There were three men in white and black cloaks, all wearing porcelain masks. The three men were ROOT ANBU, the soldiers that followed Danzō's orders without question, without hesistation. They were shinobi with no emotions.

"Hiruzen always had so much faith in you. And yet you can't even kill an enemy of Konoha," Danzō said. "You're just like him, too soft."

Both Kotero and Naruto narrowed their eyes onto Danzō. Not only did he insult Kotero, but also their grandfather figure. They bit back their tongues from saying anything crude or rude. They had to since it was on the tip of their tongues.

Even Naruto could tell that this man would take no nonsense from anyone and he must be high on the ladder if he refers the Hokage by his first name.

Kotero sighed. "Crua is an enemy you should never underestimate. He has a bloodline limit, the **Diamond Release** ," he said. "And he's very good with it."

Danzō hummed. "Your words are meaningless. Maybe it was too much of me to expect you to kill him," he said without any positive emotion.

' _Maybe if I got the chance I could have. Crua seemed like the guy who only likes to fight one on one,_ ' Kotero thought.

Kotero ran his fingers through his blood-stained hair and growled. He stopped as he needed to say a few more words.

"Danzō, I didn't see any of your trained lackies going around Konoha. Just the true ANBU. What do you have to say about that?" he asked.

Danzō's left eye narrowed onto Kotero. "I don't see you as an important part of Konoha. You've only been here for nearly three years. A mercenary with an honorary badge at best. It is wise to be reminded of that," he said.

Kotero gritted his teeth. "Ah, I know, and I've noticed it believe me. It doesn't stop me from putting my life on the line, protecting this village's safety and future, for the ones I love. I didn't see you save anyone… Danzō-sama," he said with his anger leaking out.

"The roots of the Great Tree always feel the disturbances where the leaves lay. I'm not needed for what you insinuated. Regardless, Uzumaki Kotero, I would suggest using the power you were _blessed_ with and stop the bijū," Danzō suggested.

Naruto clenched his fist. This man in front of him was pissing him off to his absolute limits. Naruto was wondering how he could say such hurtful things to someone who nearly killed himself to save the village. Then he remembered what this village could dish out at a moment's notice, how horrible the other side of the coin could be. Naruto knew he would have to change that.

Kotero rubbed his face in exasperation. "How can you even suggest that? There's two of them. That's a suicide mission," he said.

"One of them is close to their knees. The Ichibi I believe. Once you arrive there, you could take the other one out. It would do good for your name for what is to come after all this," Danzō said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, the first words he said in a while. "What is going to happen to Nii-chan?"

Danzō exhaled through his nose and pursed his lips. "No one truly knows. The future is uncertain, however after today, a new era will begin for Konoha," he said.

' _New era?'_ Naruto thought with uncertainty.

"What do you mean by new era?" Kotero asked.

Danzō shook his head and placed put his hands on his cane in front of him. He was shielding himself from their questions. Closing himself off Kotero and Naruto.

"You will find out soon enough. You better not disappoint Konoha," Danzō said. "It would be a great shame for you and your clan's name."

Danzō then vanished from Kotero and Naruto's sight. His ANBU followers vanished away as well, obviously trying to get back to their master.

"I don't like that guy," Naruto said. "He's a bad egg."

Kotero nodded in agreement. "I know. Only met him twice before today. He's creepy and dark. I don't like him either, but Jiji made me be respectful to him. I'll have to have a word with Jiji after all this is done with, he's going to get an earful," he said. "Danzō shouldn't be in power anymore, that senile man is going to fuck everything up."

"Do you think he's telling the truth, with the other bijū?" Naruto asked. "If it is, we can save Konoha!"

Kotero bit his lower lip. "We could. But how does he know that? And that 'era' talk is making me worried. Naruto, do you think we can do this?" he asked.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, when we work together, anything is possible!" he said in a reassuring tone.

Kotero felt a surge of confidence flow through his veins. Naruto was right, if they work together, anything was possible.

"Alright, we better go back to the Eastern Forest and stop the rampaging bijū." Kotero clapped his hands and started moving towards the east. "Let's go Naruto," he said.

Naruto nodded and ran after his brother. The two made their ways to the rooftops and ran fast towards the Eastern Forest. Jumping from building to building, they were just about to enter the forest until someone new arrived.

A man with brown hair and the mask of the Tiger appeared by via body-flicker and stopped the Uzumaki brothers.

Kotero stopped his tracks and looked at the ANBU soldier. "Tora-san. You have to get out of our way," Kotero said. "Naruto and I are going to stop the bijū."

Tora flinched when he heard this. "You can't. Those two monstrosities have completely wrecked the forest. My squad and others are doing our best to restrain them, yet we have had no luck," he said.

Kotero grinned. "Oh? Well, it seems that Naruto and I have to show you that we can do this. Isn't that right Naruto?"

Naruto nodded with his own grin. "Of course. We can do this. We're ready to save Konoha," he said.

"You two are insane. Kotero-san, I couldn't even hold them back with my special abilities," Tora said.

' _Special abilities?'_ Naruto thought. ' _What special abilities could he have that can stop the bijū?'_

Kotero sighed as he rested his hands on his hips. "No surprise. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're not the real deal Tora, you're not him. Tora, what about the Mizukage and her ninja?" he asked.

"They're all fine. Mizukage-sama and her subordinates actually fought alongside us for a while before going to the bunkers for safety. The swordsman and the female Chūnin were big helpers before they retired. On another note, Oto and Suna forces are being pushed back and most have of the Oto forces have been slain," Tora said.

Kotero sighed a breath of mighty relief. "Thank Goodness. Now, get out of the way, we're going to fly," he said before running past Tora.

Naruto looked between his brother and the Tora with uncertainty. He then exhaled heavily and ran past Tora himself, and then caught up to Kotero.

"Nii-chan, what ability does he have?" Naruto asked.

"It's not important right now. It's a secret. I only found out by accident," Kotero said. "Now, shut up and let's get this job done."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered out.

 **BOOM!**

A massive explosion occurred far ahead where Kotero and Naruto were. They landed on their next branch and huddled themselves close to the tree trunks. The shockwave came and go, pushing and pulling the elder trees around. Kotero and Naruto had to hold on tight as the force was something not to ignore.

The shockwave forced the air to be pushed back hard as well, it was like being stuck in a middle of a hurricane.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

Both brothers looked towards where the two bijū should be standing, there was a large white mushroom smoke cloud rising.

Naruto took a look at damage it caused. He had to fall to his knees on the tick branch. The forest was destroyed, so many trees were uprooted and pushed back away. So much destruction happened in only a mere few seconds.

His visibility was hampered by the growing dust clouds, he couldn't see the two large figures anymore. Were they still there?

"How can we stop that?" Naruto asked, his voice was laced with fear.

Kotero shivered, memories of his past battle with Yagura brought up scary memories. "I'm almost certain that it was a **Bijūdama**. If that attack hit one of them, then it would have put them down for the count," he said.

"It's that powerful!?" Naruto said in shock. "And I'll be able to do that if I can control my one."

Kotero smacked the back of Naruto's head lightly and ran ahead. "Don't think like that. Let's move," he said loudly.

As the two ran towards the scene of destruction, Kotero focused his chakra and tried to sense out the chakra signatures he felt when he was there before he ran away.

It was weird, there was only one large signal close by, but it was not the same, only similar to the Yonbi's. The other signal was much farther away, struggling to stay conscious. Kotero deduced that it was the Yonbi's Jinchūriki.

"Shit, it's moving away from us. Did it sense us? Naruto! We have to increase our speed!" Kotero shouted.

"Yes!" Naruto shouted back as he sprinted as fast as he could, following into his brother's slipstream. They ran and ran more towards to the east, Naruto noticed something tall in the distance. "Those are the perimeter walls!?" he shouted.

"I know! Let's hurry up then!" Kotero shouted back.

The two brothers ran hard and fast, trying to catch up to the Jinchūriki of the Yonbi. The Jinchūriki was no slouch though as he didn't let them catch up to him too quickly.

As they ran through the forest, the smell of burnt wood took over the air. The ground was cleared with a large crater, filled with fresh ashes and glass fragments. The **Bijūdama** was possibly the most destructive attack in the world.

"Move out people. Mission is accomplished. Rōshi come on! Crua is already moving out with the second division and with the hostage," the voice of Kitsuchi shouted out. "Operation Earthquake is complete."

"Kitsuchi you bastard! Who have you kidnapped!?" Kotero shouted out to him once he and Naruto got close enough.

Kitsuchi turned his head and saw the man who gave him his horrid nightmares two years ago. Having conquered those nightmares, he grew a wry smile.

"Uzumaki Kotero. Seeing your angry eyes makes this operation success all the sweeter. Don't worry about what we did, we won't do much harm to them," he said. "Expect a message soon if you want them back. And better make it quick if you want them in a full piece."

Kotero cracked his knuckles. "How about we kill ya and take them back huh?" Kotero said, elbowing the side of Naruto to make him ready.

Kitsuchi sighed. "No," he said. Over a hundred Iwa shinobi appeared and surrounded him. All of them were torn up and weakened, but they were still ready to fight. It was visible in their eyes.

"Don't push it young man. We can stay and fight some more if you slow us down," the man with the red beard, Rōshi said.

Kotero rolled his eyes over to Rōshi, focusing hard on the man to absorb all the details. This man was the Yonbi Jinchūriki. He could sense it; the chakras were all too similar.

Kotero saw that he was an older man. Kotero then scanned the other ninja, they all looked strong, all above the minimal level of Chūnin in his eyes.

"Is this your new squad Kitsuchi?" Kotero asked.

"Yes, and I made sure to make them as strong as possible before coming here. In case we had to fight you or one of your comrades. I also have grown stronger from our last bout, you won't break my nose again," Kitsuchi said. "Men move out."

The Iwa ninja started to run towards the newly created hole in the Konoha perimeter wall. The last image the Uzumaki brothers were the smug faces of Kitsuchi and Rōshi.

"Nii-chan, we have to stop them!" Naruto said as he hunched forward, preparing to launch himself into the future battle.

Naruto felt a strong grip on his left shoulder, he turned his head back to see the face of a defeated Kotero.

"Naruto… please don't. We would die if we went up against them. We're not strong enough," Kotero said with a struggle.

"Nii-chan…"

Kotero sighed depressingly but there was deep anger in his aura. "I know, it's hard. But they're already on the move… we lost today," he said. "We lost big time."

Naruto slumped. This feeling of disappointment was something he has never experienced before. He felt his chest was gravitating towards the ground. It was so heavy, so dense.

"What do we do now?" Naruto asked.

Kotero exhaled heavily. "I'm going back to the hospital; do you want to come with me and help your big brother?" he asked. "ANBU and the others should be taking care of the rest of this attack."

Naruto nodded sluggishly. He looked towards Konoha, but something caught his eye. A large pile of broken boulders with sand all around. A foot wearing a black sandal hanging loosely.

"Nii-chan… I think that's Gaara," Naruto said. "There by those big rocks."

Kotero looked far into the distance to where Naruto was pointing. He was right, there was definitely a person by those rocks and that person was leaking sand. "Oh? I think it would be good of us then to see if he's alive then."

Keeping their wits about them, Naruto and Kotero went over to where the leaking body was. They were using all their senses just to make sure they wouldn't get ambushed from a straggling Iwa or Suna squad.

It didn't take them long to find the cracked and bloodied face of Gaara. His body was lying on the burning dirt ground in a strange position. Son Gokū really did a number on him and Shukaku.

Kotero looked around them and saw the total destruction of the wonderful place that was the Eastern Forest of Konoha. The two bijū's fights brought total destruction to this peaceful habitat. Their Bijūdama explosion just about destroyed nearly everything.

Growling under his breath, Kotero wanted nothing more to bring the same type of destruction to those villages, Oto included.

He quickly shook his head to rid the thoughts of revenge. Revenge was something that would only ruin both his and Naruto's life. He had to think of making Konoha better in the future, not destroy the other villages.

Shifting his eyes towards Naruto, he could see his little brother stare down at Gaara with saddened eyes. His whole demeanour became depressed. It was heart wrenching to see.

"Get away from me!" Gaara said loudly. He was scared, he has never been in such a weak state.

Naruto tilted his head, his eyes were nearly full of misery, but they had a caring glint to them. "Calm down. That hell… That loneliness, you don't have to suffer it anymore," he said.

"Are you going to kill me? To end this suffering?" Gaara asked.

Naruto's eyes didn't change. "No," he said. "But if you try to destroy my friends and village again, I'll make you suffer more than you could ever imagine," he threatened.

"Why?" Gaara asked further.

Naruto looked at him and clenched his fists. This situation was one of the hardest things he had to go through. All the bad memories, all that horrible nostalgia, it was coming back in a flood.

"I see myself in you. I could have become a monster. But I was saved, and you need to live as Gaara, not as the Ichibi's Jinchūriki," Naruto told him. "You deserve the chance to live your life your way."

"But you're the same as me," Gaara said. "You hold a demon inside you. I saw it with my own eyes. How can you help out those strangers? They tried to kill us."

"Not all of them," Naruto said with a shout. "Yeah, some of them still resent me. And they resent the ones who love me, but I don't care about that. I only care for the ones who do love me and are willing to change. This village is my village. It won't change unless I change as well."

Gaara's eyes widened and his lip trembled. His core beliefs that he kept so close to his heart were shattering at a rapid pace.

Gaara turned his eyes to the man with red hair who was keeping his distance between the two. He could see that he was covered in his and other's blood from head to toe. However, he knew who he was and what he was capable of.

"You. Crimson Leaf, what are your feelings for this village and Uzumaki Naruto?" he asked.

Kotero focused on Gaara and came closer with his hands deep in his pockets.

"Naruto… is the sole reason I stay here and fight. I love my little brother with all my heart. This village is a part of Naruto's dream, so I'll protect it, the villagers and my friends with everything I got. I don't care about the village itself really," he said truthfully. "Despite the hate we receive, I'll do anything to keep Naruto's dream safe."

Naruto had to stop himself from frowning and getting sad by the words. He hated when Kotero said things such as that. He couldn't understand why he didn't love the village. He just knew he was the only one to convince him, it was their home after all.

Gaara turned his head and then looked across the burning group bushes and saw the limp body of his older sister Temari. She was out of it, completely unconscious.

"Friends… love… what does it mean?" he asked.

Naruto crouched and leaned in close to Gaara's face, they're noses were nearly touching.

"Me and you. We're near enough the same. If you want to know what love feels like, make up with your brother and sister. And I'll be your friend," he said. "Once you feel that feeling, that feeling of love. You'll do anything to keep it close to your heart."

"You… my friend?"

Naruto grew a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, we're now friends. And as your friend, I'm going to put you to sleep," he said as he smacked the end of his blade, Silver, onto Gaara's temple.

As soon as it hit, Gaara fell unconscious, his whole body went limp. He was so drained of chakra and stamina, that his ultimate sand defence wasn't reacting quickly enough.

Kotero moved past Naruto and picked the boy up, placing him on his left shoulder. He then went over to Temari, walking on the ground of fresh ashes to pick her up. After he placed her on his right shoulder, he looked at Naruto with miserable eyes.

"Come on… Let's put these two away," he said with a monotonic voice.

Naruto pulled his stare away from his blood-soaked hands and stood up. Nodding, he followed his brother with a slow pace. Their bodies were completely wrecked. They needed to recover, but first they had to help the other victims, they needed help, and lots of it.

His problems can wait.

* * *

 **Three Hours Later**

 **Konoha Hospital, Uzumaki Office**

"So, you brought him to custody," Shikamaru said.

Kotero, Shikamaru and Naruto were in the Uzumaki office at the Konoha hospital. Kotero was fixing Shikamaru's confirmed broken ankle, he started after he washed himself and got into a fresh set of clothes. Shikamaru made himself comfortable on the couch, leaning back as Kotero worked.

At that moment of time, he was wrapping it tightly, so in the future it would heal better at home. It has been some time since the escape of Kitsuchi and the Iwa forces. The battle in Konoha has ended.

Naruto nodded to the words. "Gaara is now completely out of it. He's sleeping like a baby now," he said. "It must be the first sleep he's gotten in a long time."

"Why do you say that?" Shikamaru asked.

Kotero lightly laughed. "Gaara has insomnia. That is one reason on his strange behaviour. Temari, his older sister and the kunoichi you fought was also close by. She was unconscious. There was an older brother, but he's not with us. Damn, we only got two out of three for the set," he said.

Shikamaru nodded with the answer. "What's going to happen to them? Are we going to…"

Kotero shook his head. "We are not killing them," he said bluntly. "They would be put to much better use alive rather than dead. We will fuck Suna over with a deal that they can't refuse. Gaara is too precious for them and Temari is already a strong kunoichi. She destroyed Tenten in the preliminaries and technically did beat you," he said. "But we'll have wait until everything calms down with Suna. That might take a while."

Naruto sighed. "It's only fair. They did attack us when we had an alliance and what was it you said? They broke a trade agreement between the nations."

Kotero smiled at Naruto. "You remembered, good. Yeah, the Land of Fire traded crops for certain metals and rock salt. They screwed themselves over with that," he said.

"They wanted to take over Konoha, so they can take over the Land of Fire's territory," Shikamaru said. "They wanted to grow their own food and not trade metals to get it."

"That makes sense," Naruto said. "But it's still mean of them. The Land of Wind is a huge country, why do they need more land?"

"Because it has a lot of desert and dryland. That's not good for growing crops," Shikamaru pointed out. "And what did you mean by saying Gaara is too precious?" he asked.

Kotero sighed. "Can I tell you at a better time?" he asked. "The looks in your eyes tell me that you know something, but it'll have to wait."

Shikamaru grunted. "I do. I will find out about it," he said. "And Naruto, you still have to tell me about your special power that you used against to beat up Lee and then win."

Naruto nodded. "Sure… Whatever you want," he said with the shrug of his shoulders.

Kotero's eyes turned sad when he saw Naruto slump and rest on the side of his desk. His burden was really getting to him. ' _Naruto thinking like that_ … _I wonder if it was because of Gaara or Rōshi?'_ he thought.

A loud shout was heard down the hallways. A woman's shout at that. In her voice, one could hear desperation, worry and fear.

"Where are they!?" the woman shouted out. She was outside the corridors, the steps becoming louder and louder. More erratic. "Tell me where the hell they are! Gah! You're all stupid people!"

"That voice," Shikamaru said. "It can't be."

The door slammed open. A woman came in, huffing and puffing. There was a bit of sweat dripping from her forehead. The image was a strange one, but the woman did look pretty in her new and fancy beige dress.

"Kaa-san!" Shikamaru said in surprise.

Yoshino turned her head to see Shikamaru on the couch, she didn't even waste a second and ran over to him. Shikamaru knew it from the moment she laid eyes on him, there was no possible escape.

"Thank goodness you're safe Shikamaru, I was so worried about you!" Yoshino said in tears, embracing Shikamaru in a tight hug.

Kotero stepped back. He wanted to give the mother and son space. ' _Kaa-chan… I wish we could see each other like this once more…'_

Shikamaru deflated and sighed. "I'm sorry for breaking my ankle Kaa-san," he said.

Yoshino moved and kissed the top of Shikamaru's head. "What are you saying? You helped defend Konoha. I couldn't be any prouder," she said.

Yoshino got off her feet after letting go of Shikamaru and went over to Naruto. "Naruto! I'm so glad you're safe. Come here," she said as she hugged Naruto just as tightly.

Naruto yelped from the surprise. However, he quickly recovered and hugged Yoshino back. Naruto wouldn't be surprised if one day he dies from one of her tight hugs.

"Are you ok Yoshino-kaasan?" he asked her. Naruto was worried about her and Shikaku, two people he considered his family.

Yoshino repeated her actions and kissed the top of Naruto's head. "Of course, I'm fine. My boys are safe and sound. Naruto, I was amazed by your performances in the Chūnin exams. Shikaku and I are so proud of you," she said lovingly. "Our little ball of sunshine shined so brightly today."

"Thanks! I always try to do my best," Naruto said with glee.

Yoshino pulled out of the hug and turned to Kotero who was standing close to the wall. She opened her arms wide and walked over to him. "Come on. Don't you ever think I would forget about you Kotero," she said.

Kotero gave her a defeated smile and opened his arms wide. It only took a second before he was crushed by an almighty hug from Yoshino. The woman may be a retired kunoichi, but she was still a Jōnin and she certainly still had the strength of one. Kotero wrapped his arms around the woman and sighed happily.

"Are you proud of me?" Kotero asked in a sweet voice.

Yoshino pulled out the hug. "Not one bit," she said with disgust.

The two boys laughed as Kotero's expression dropped to the floor. "Why? You're proud of Naruto and Shikamaru?" he said in a cry.

Yoshino laughed and pulled down Kotero's head, so she could kiss on it. He was simply too tall for her otherwise. "I am always proud of you. All three of you are my boys, how can I not be proud? I do have a little problem with you though, Uzumaki Kotero," she said with stern eyes.

"What is it?" Kotero asked. "I didn't do anything!" he said.

Yoshino nodded with her arms crossed. "That's the point. You were sitting and talking with a beautiful kunoichi and you didn't even introduce her to me," she said. "I thought you were better than that."

Naruto could see Kotero getting flustered. He decided to help out, it was the least he could do in his mind. "Yoshino-kaasan, Niko-neechan isn't a kunoichi of the village. She's from the capital," Naruto informed her.

"The Capital… Oh," Yoshino said.

"Something wrong with the Capital Kaa-san?" Shikamaru asked.

Yoshino shook her head. "Nothing at all. Just means I won't be able to nose my way around and find out more about her. Strange though, she carried herself like a kunoichi, a strong at that," she said.

Shikamaru focused his eyes on his mother. "You can tell from just observing her?" he asked.

Yoshino nodded. "Of course. Those sort of things never leave you. And she seemed strong. Does she not like you or something? Your cheeks are a bit red Kotero. Nearly as red as your wonderful hair," she asked.

Kotero grunted and waved his arms in a fluster. "It's not that. First Jiraiya asking, then Asuma and now you. It was bad enough with them, but I don't want you talking about it," he said.

Yoshino laughed. "This is the pleasure of having boys. You get to make fun of them when they're after girls. Shika, Naruto when you two chase the ones you have feelings for. Mark my words, I will embarrass you in front of them with everything I got," she said with a smile.

All she received was groans from the two boys.

 **KNOCK! KNOCK!**

Kotero turned his head and saw Asuma walk into the room. His body was heavy, his eyes were dull. His aura was non-existent.

"Woah, Asuma. Everything alright?" Kotero asked with worry. His best friend looked like he just got all the life sucked out of him.

Shikamaru, Naruto and Yoshino turned their heads to Asuma. He was resting his back on the wall and scrunched his packet of cigarettes in his right hand. The box was now ruined, just like his day.

"No… Tou-san is dead."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	23. Chapter 23 - The Crying Spirits

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 23 – The Crying Spirits**

 **Elder Council Room, Hokage Tower**

"Now that Hiruzen is dead and gone from Konoha, I suggest that this is the perfect time to change Konoha. The Tree that it once was stood with glory. Now it is nothing more than a mere twig."

"Danzō, this is not the time. Our comrade and friend has passed away. Today is a day where should remember our younger days. Tomorrow we can discuss the future, but today is a day to respect Hiruzen."

"Homura is right Danzō, let us leave this for our discussion tomorrow and for the Konoha Courts. The clans and important representatives of the citizens of Konoha will be there. They will need to know what will happen next with our Great Village."

"You two are acting soft. Just like him. The time here is done," Danzō said with a chilling voice. His lone eye narrowed in the two elders sitting in front of him.

"Danzō, are you going to attend the funeral?" Homura asked after a sigh.

The two elders, Homura and Koharu watched as Danzō stood up and left the room with his cane in hand. The man had many ideas floating in his mind.

"He left us without an answer. Do you think he will?" Koharu asked.

"I have no clue anymore. He loves Konoha, but the man has putting me on the edge from the last few years Koharu-san," Homura said. "I just hope he doesn't do anything drastic."

"Do you think it is a good idea to bring everyone together to discuss what happened on the day of the Chūnin exams and of Konoha's future?" Koharu asked. Her voice was filled with uncertainty.

Homura rubbed his face with his weary, wrinkled hands and then fixed his glasses before speaking. "I see no other way. It will either help solve our problems or create more of them and a divide. But that is a risk we have to take."

* * *

 **Unknown Location, The Land of Fire**

"Did you hear Itachi-san? The village you betrayed was attacked by Iwa, Oto and Suna. Hehe, I would have loved to join in on the destruction."

"Kisame, what are you trying to achieve?"

Kisame looked up to the cloudy sky with a grin as he walked side by side with his partner in crime.

"I want to see emotion flash through your eyes. All my time working with you, I have never seen happiness, fear, anger or anything. I don't even know if you're human or not anymore."

Itachi was silent as he shrouded his eyes with his straw-hat. A light chime from the bell filled the air.

"Some could say the same about you."

Kisame cheekily laughed and placed his own hat on top of his head.

"We're not human. We're demons. Look, it's about to rain."

"Yes, it is. It would be wise to find shelter."

"Seeing that Konoha wasn't destroyed, it must mean that there is a group of very strong ninja, right?"

"Yes Kisame. Konoha is low on ninja. But these ninja are strong. It would be foolish to fight them on your own."

"Hehe. This is the first time I heard you talk so much. Maybe we can see the Jinchūriki fight… or even that Crimson punk?"

"We will see."

* * *

 **The Capital of the Land of Earth, Jewel Valley City**

There has been turmoil ravaging parts of the Mainland of late. Normally, this would cause worry for the population. However, there was a discussion that happened that proved otherwise. A discussion between two very powerful men in the heart of a bustling city.

The first man was slouching comfortably on a large pillow which was atop of a straw mat. With a sake filled cup in front of his feet and the smell of incense making his nostrils flare pleasantly, the man was at peace. More so with his trusty katana in her scabbard resting on his shoulder and the floor. He combed back his jet black hair and cracked his neck as the sun passed over his tanned skin.

The other was tall and broad. His face was covered up by and intricately designed brass mask that only revealed his eyes. The man was pacing slowly through the room, rubbing his stone cold face with an arm that was not human, but rather an artificial one partially made from the very same metal. His appearance revealed very little about him bar that one could easily assume that this man had a serious and closed off personality.

The room was large, yet it had little furniture inside. It almost represented the inside of a dojo. There were charms hanging of the walls, not all were native to the lands where they are.

"You said Konoha would be destroyed. And with the Hidden Village gone, the market would have opened up and that bitch would lose her assets. Now, I'm finding out that not only did the village survive, but the troubles in the surrounding areas is helping her make more profits as well as the smaller crime lords. This is ridiculous, no not ridiculous, it's outrageous. I will have someone's head for this!" said the man with the brass mask. The voice was filled with slight annoyance, it was quite deep but slightly muffled because of the mask he wore.

"Oh? I thought you were going to say you were going to have my sweet head," the swordsman said with a cheery smile and voice. It didn't match the atmosphere, which made the other man tense.

"Diamonds… It's only a matter of time. Clearly from hindsight, it was more effective to work with you to take down the other two Kings in this game of Life and Death by funnelling our money into this country and Iwagakure to improve and make their armies stronger in such a short span of time. But all this backfired, and we lost pieces while they didn't lose any. At the end of this charade, one of us four will be the most powerful figure in terms of power and money in the whole Mainland. Having the Major Elemental countries and the Hidden Villages on tight leashes. That is the ultimate goal."

"Ultimate goal huh? That is where you are wrong Clubs-san. That is your goal and yours alone. Yet, I don't think it has ever been established that was my own," Diamonds said with a teasing grin.

"What? Then why are you here talking to me? There has to be some insane reason on why you are in this dirty business like the rest of us if ultimate power isn't it," Clubs said with some surprise.

Coughing into his free hand before jugging down his drink, Diamonds stared intently at Clubs, making the latter stop in place and stare back.

"Let me tell you something straight. Being born and raised to be a Samurai, I was taught to keep in my bloodthirstiness, my never-ending hunger to fight. I was one of the strongest, yet the life of the Samurai was one not fitting to me.

So, I left the order and became a wandering Rōnin. There I learnt many skills, new skills that wouldn't befit a Samurai, and I began battling strong foes with different and unique abilities. I lived through the fights, learning and soaring. I loved every bit of it. Then, somehow, I wound up here on top of the bloody food chain that is the Underworld. A King of the Underground Monarchy. Who would have known?" he asked rhetorically at the end. It was clear that he was enjoying the conversation.

Clubs grunted and clenched both his fists. Never having the patience to deal with people who wanted to have fun, he tried his damn best not to unleash some of his anger on this civil conversation.

"You never hid your past. You were just a commoner's son who joined the Samurai code in the Land of Iron after your village was destroyed. There you earned the nickname, 'Wolf's Terror' with your unorthodox sword style. One of Mifune's, the Grandmaster of the Samurai who resides in the Land of Iron's most prized students, you are Hideyoshi Toyotomi. What people don't know is that you are actually Diamonds, one of the Four Kings," Clubs explained.

"You don't have to spell it out for me, I know already, it's me after all. You've always been like that, ever since we first budded heads all those years ago," Diamonds berated with a wave of his right arm and a heavy sigh.

"A long time ago, yes. That was when the position of Hearts was with the old man and it was you, I and Spades that were competing against him, who we all thought was too powerful. Then the years went by and then he just killed, by that wench."

"Oi, they fought out a true battle. It was a fair fight. He was an old man who had withering bones and a bad cough which made him spit out his black blood. She was the victor and took his position and his assets. Why do you hate her so much? Are you a misogynist Clubs-san?" Diamonds asked.

"Don't make me laugh. Of course, I am, but that's not the reason. She doesn't respect either of us. And neither does she respect Spades. She think she's already on top. Oh, she couldn't be further from the truth."

"Clubs, I don't want you messing with her. I need her to think everything is going well for her."

"Oh? And why not? If I recall correctly, you don't tell me what to do, we're on the same level, we have the same status."

"Oh, shut up would you!? That's not what I'm getting at. There's something that she has that interests me."

"Something that she has? What could it possibly be? An artefact? An ancient weapon?"

"Well… you could consider him an ancient weapon. No, surely you have heard of him. The Crimson Leaf. One Uzumaki Kotero of Konoha."

"Uzumaki… That name has reached my ears. A man that has only appeared on the scene a few years back but has already made a name for himself around the Mainland for people to fear him. Almost like another who came from Konoha."

"Correct. And they say his strongest skill is his power and grace with his two swords. Now, me being me, I wish to test that for myself."

"You really are mentally retarded, aren't you?"

"It is so funny you say that. If you keep wearing that brass mask over your face and thinking it looks good, then you're the one that's an idiot!" Diamonds shouted with a laugh

"This mask is to cover the scars I received from the old man when we were only starting out as the Top Dogs," Clubs said as he rubbed his brass mechanical arm. "He really was a tough bastard."

"How did the fight end again? Half your face scarred and losing your left arm, now I'd normally say that is pathetic, but it was the old man. He was unnatural, something alien. I'm glad he's dead."

"It should have been me that killed him, not her."

"You lost your chance. He was nearly a century old. You would have won, this isn't twenty years ago. I know myself that your damn puppets and your skill with them have improved. I wonder what you've done to make them so strong."

"That is a secret I shall never utter to your ears. It breaks the only rule of being a puppeteer. Yet, it was a rule I never cared about in the first place. In my village there was a young man who had exceptional skill in puppetry, more than I did at his age. He's a traitor to the village like I am, Sasori of the Red Sands. Oh, I wish to see who is stronger now. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the better puppeteer, but the core weakness of any puppeteer is that they can only fight with their puppets. I am the exception."

"Now that would be a fight I would pay to see. Speaking of that man, my spies have uncovered information of the organisation that he belongs to. Akatsuki are on the move again, but there's a different beat to their step," Diamonds said, obviously withholding the key pieces of information.

"What could you possibly mean?" Clubs asked with his curiosity peaked, evident with the change of tone in his muffled deep voice.

"There has been more sightings of them and it seems from their actions that they are investigating for something."

"Do you know what that is Diamonds-san? You wouldn't bring this up if you didn't, you hate the chance of looking like a fool."

"Now, now. Why would I tell you? Unless you will give me something in return?"

"You said you wanted to fight that man, Uzumaki Kotero, correct? I could provide you with information in exchange in how you could fight him on your own terms."

"Oh? Now you've got a deal. You know what they say around here if you break a word once given? That you lose all honour. Now, honour has never been a big part of my personality, but if you're lying to me, I will tie you up rip off your arms and legs, and then give you a choice. Either eat your limbs to survive or starve to death."

"I don't like idle threats coming out of your mouth. Now, tell me what the Akatsuki are doing. They are a hindrance to my business."

"According to my network. There are a total of ten members of right now. Their main objective is searching out the Jinchūriki that hold the legendary Bijū. My assumption is that they are hoping to hold so much power to make every other power yield to their mighty strength. Their overall desire is unknown, but it is interesting is it not?"

"The Bijū… you cannot be serious!? The Hidden Villages shroud them in great secrecy. We only know the identity of some because of our position. Wait, the Akatsuki are made up of missing-nin that have the rank of S-rank. They would know the identities of the Jinchūriki native to their own villages. You must have a great spy to gather this information," Clubs said with a rushed voice. This information filled in the blanks that he was left with from his own investigations.

 **KNOCK! KNOCK!**

"Sir, a message has been delivered from Crua," the voice of an underling said. A voice that was neutral, but the most experienced ears could hear that the man had some fear. No doubt since he was speaking closely to two very powerful men.

"Good. Now leave," Diamonds said as he left his spot and strolled to the door. Opening it and grabbing a letter, he opened it quickly and started to read the contents.

"Obedient worker. Now, Crua? That is a very strange name. I don't think I ever heard of a name like it at all. Where is the man from, Diamonds?" Clubs asked.

"It's not his true name. It is a code-name, but there is some truth to it. His heritage is a strange and ancient one. His family originated from the savage region of Warido, deep within the Western Continent. Once you go past the Snake-Fold Mountains, you will have to traverse past the Lands of Bird and Demons to get to the craggy area full of plains," Diamonds explained before being cut off.

"That still doesn't explain the unorthodox name," Clubs pointed out.

"Let me finish you brass-faced bastard! Now, I was saying that the Warido region is a tough region to live in. It has no ruler, no laws. It is a barbaric land where the strongest live. The people there could speak the same language as us, yet their culture was nothing alike. The people that lived their loved to fight, and they were polytheistic. There were some that represented fertility, debauchery and love. But there was one that ruled them all, one that held the title of War and Wraith."

"And I take it that this Deity's name was Crua."

"You are correct. The qualities associated with this guy was a lot. Strong, brave, hard. Skin and flesh as tough as diamonds. Had a punch that could topple a mountain. My Crua, not the Deity, half his bloodline traced from this region. His mother originated from that side of the Mainland. It seemed that she ran away from the wasted space.

You could tell he has some features associated with those people from his facial structure. His cheekbones and all that bullshit. Anyway, he came into my care when he was a small boy. He said that I was his lifesaver, his saviour. And he told me of his horrid past.

When I first asked his name, he said he didn't have one anymore, that he lost it. Now me being the great guy that I am, I gave him a proper name, but I would call him Crua from time to time because he was unique, and it made me happy whenever I saw his bright reaction. Then the boy wanted to help me become the King, the 'True King', so he left my side and started to work behind the scenes to help me in my ambitions," Diamonds explained further as he read his letter intently.

"That makes sense. He must be a strong servant for you to care for him that much."

"He's more like a son haha."

"What is the state of the people of Warido and its religion if you don't mind me asking? I've heard of the region being referred to be the 'Badlands' of the Mainland, but I have never actually delved into its history."

"It's a strange one. Not many people live there and most, if not all are nomadic. Yet, they could write, and there has been passages of texts passed down the generations of these tribes for many generations.

The earliest of these texts mentioned the Deities, which there are nine in total, but there was no mention of chakra. Then there was a mention of the Sage of Six Paths, and how he showed them chakra and its power.

I don't know whether to believe any of it or not, but there's always some truth to these ancient stories and legends."

"This world is different from the world a thousand years ago. The only thing that I know what will happen is that there will be a great change in the coming years. Like I said, one of us will become the strongest, and rule over the Mainland. I will rule it with an iron fist."

"For how long I ask? Is it worth it to risk so much just to have a chance to get that power?" Diamonds asked as he crumbled up his letter and threw it into a bowl of fire. Destroying it.

"It is. I rather die knowing that I was the most powerful man alive in my prime than leave it as a 'what if'. Now to fulfil my end of the bargain. As we already discussed, I want to take over the market in the Land of Fire, but I am not an idiot or too big for my boots, so I asked for your… assistance. It was a large possibility that you wouldn't cooperate, so I have done my own my research on three main aspects. The Daimyō and his court's city main trades, Heart's trading assets and power. And finally, Konoha and its power," Clubs answered.

"Sounds like you've done some homework then."

"If you want to fight Uzumaki Kotero for your sword fighting fetish. Then there's two ways of going about it."

"You got me hooked. Come one, tell me now you brass bastard."

"You have your own network of information and I have my own. I have learnt that there is a high possibility that Uzumaki Kotero is connected to Hearts but there is no hard-proof evidence. Both parties are hiding it well if they are. But, neither have been perfect. They only left some scraps to make assumptions out of."

"And what of the other option. That sounds too wishy-washy for me to even go there."

"The recent invasion of the Iwa, Suna and Oto forces allowed a team of my subjects to hop in and out during Konoha's Chūnin exams. They found out something that would definitely make you get that man's attention," Clubs said. As he finished speaking, he turned heel and walked to the large doors to the exit. He had enough of this already.

"And what is that. Oi, why are you going for the door!? You haven't told me yet," Diamonds asked with an irritated shout.

"That man, he has a little brother. And the truth is that he would do anything to make sure that he is safe and well. I'll leave the rest for you Diamonds-san, but it won't be easy. It seems that those two Uzumaki boys are high priority targets to many people. You're not the only person interested in them," Clubs said leaving with yet another heavy grunt.

Diamonds smiled and sighed.

"A little brother eh? And he's a protective older brother. Oh… Things are sure going to get interesting. And she's included in this most likely," his smile grew with every word that left his mouth, his voice getting happier as every second passed, "maybe I should throw her into the mix as well, make it a fucked up party of mad fun!" he said with a loud clap of his hands.

* * *

 **Uzumaki Residence**

The kitchen was quiet. The sound of chewing and the contact of chopsticks were the only noises that could be heard in the whole house. Sadness and sorrow was present throughout. The dreaded day has finally arrived for Konoha.

The two Uzumaki brothers sat at the ends of the kitchen table. There was no chatter among them, an unusual occurance. The two boys could never shut up, even if you tried. Their emotions were running at an all-time low.

Naruto stabbed both chopsticks upright into the near full bowl of rice and placed it in front of a picture of the late Hokage, himself and Kotero. He wiped his mouth clean, there were some grains left. Moving to the bin, he dumped the mess he made into it.

Naruto moved his way back to his seat. As he sat, he couldn't get comfortable, so he leaned forward and rested on the hard table top.

Looking ahead, Naruto watched Kotero with a pen in his hand and stacks of paper going from the left to right.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked. His voice was solemn, empty of any positive emotion.

Kotero didn't reply straight away, he waited to open his mouth until he finished writing on the paper. "Going through medical forms. There were a lot of people injured and killed during that invasion," he said. He exhaled heavily afterwards.

Naruto sighed. "How many died?" he asked.

Kotero breathed through his nose and shook his head. "Too many," he said. "Way too many."

Naruto slumped his head and groaned. Konoha's defeat has been the worst thing to happen in his life. The villagers are all angry, ready to point the finger at anyone they hate. The two brothers have huddled up in their house, to mourn and ignore the villagers. Naruto knew Kotero wanted to visit Asuma again after the first day, but it was simply too much trouble.

"Most of them were Chūnin and Jōnin. There was also many civilian deaths. But the village…" Kotero said. "The village is destroyed."

Naruto frowned. "Iwa, Oto and Suna. Why would they do this? Why would they want to hurt us Nii-chan?" he asked.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders after signing off a form. "Greed. It was all greed," he said depressingly.

"Greed…" Naruto muttered under his breath.

Naruto sluggishly shook his head, he wanted to change the subject. "What about the Chūnin exams? Is the attack going to affect it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kotero answered. The response was simple, it didn't leave much to branch off to.

Naruto sat up and rested his chin on his palm. "I'm worried about the others."

"The others?" Kotero asked with a questioning face.

"My group. Sasuke hasn't showed his face. I haven't seen Sakura since they all left. Shika and Chōji are staying at their homes. And the others… I don't talk to them," Naruto said.

Kotero removed his eyes from the papers and looked to Naruto. "You should change that. Talk to them. How else are you going to make friends?" he said.

"I have enough friends," Naruto replied quickly.

Kotero huffed. "More contacts is better than none. I'm not telling you to be best friends with them. Just talk to them for five minutes, it wouldn't kill you," he said.

"Speaking from experience?" Naruto asked.

Kotero nodded. "I would never be the man I am today without them. Good or bad, people help progress you to the next stage. You can never do everything on your own," he said.

Naruto nodded. His eyes were heavy from the sadness in his heart. "Jiji… is dead. Who's going to be the next Hokage?" he asked.

"I don't know. Most likely Jiraiya if we can't find anyone else. He's Jiji's only pupil still working for Konoha and a member of the Sannin," Kotero answered. "If not him, it might be someone else."

"Is the other one… Tsunade not working for Konoha anymore?"

Kotero shook his head. "No, she left the village before you were born. She's the granddaughter of Senju Hashirama, a strong woman and a brilliant medical-nin. You could say she's the perfect candidate on paper. I've never met her though, so she could be a horrible person in real life."

"Then why isn't she picked?"

"Wish I could know. This village has too many problem children."

The silence returned. Naruto got out of his seat and went to the staircase. He rested his hand on the handrail and looked to his brother once more. "What of those councils? What are they saying?"

Kotero looked up again and frowned. "The Shinobi council hasn't said a word, neither has the Civilian council. All I know is that there is a new huge room being built to house both councils, and there's a meeting sometime soon. I have to attend it, an Uzumaki has to be present supposedly," he said with a sigh running off at the end.

Naruto nodded and climbed up the steps. It didn't take him long to get to his bedroom. It was messy, out of control. His equipment lying all around the floor and his desk covered in scrolls. It has been a hectic few days.

The bed was one of the only things in the room that was not muddled. At the end was a fresh pile of black clothing. Funeral clothing for such occasions. Naruto picked up the black shirt and sniffed it. It was a lovely smell, fragrant.

Naruto's eyes became teary eyed as the it was coming soon. The funeral for the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to commence at Noon. The time was only ten in the morning. The time to truly say goodbye was closing in.

Naruto placed the shirt back and stumbled upon his wardrobe. He didn't know what his body was doing, he simply let it move by itself.

His eyes moved through the sets of clothing, but only one item caught his eye. Naruto's hands moved into the wardrobe and it plucked out a black jacket with bright orange stripes running down the arms. The inside of the jacket matched the orange on the outside. A wonderful jacket filled with wonderful memories.

"Jiji… remember this. You got me this when Nii-chan found me…" Tears ran down Naruto's cheeks as his lips trembled. "I loved you Jiji… why did you have to leave us? Why did you have to let him kill you!? I wanted you to see me become the Hokage," Naruto said.

Naruto went down to his knees and covered his face with his old jacket. His tears would not stop flowing. The love he had for his grandfather figure was simply too much to hold in and not do anything about it.

The sounds of choked tears made another's heart drop. Kotero was resting his back on the wall outside Naruto's room. He heard everything what his little brother said.

He couldn't help but feel a lump was stuck in his throat from the words. He felt the same but not to the same extent. Naruto had only Hiruzen to lean on for the better part of a decade, while he only knew him for just under three years.

Kotero could feel his heavy eyes, they want to be shut. Cut off everything in the world so he doesn't have to feel anything. It was ironic to him, Kotero was a Jōnin of Konoha. A man who killed on a regular basis. Yet, when one of his own is killed, he can't cope with the feelings.

' _I truly am pathetic,_ ' Kotero thought as he shook his head slowly. ' _And a hypocrite._ '

Kotero rested on the wall until the sniffles from Naruto were no longer loud. When the time came that Naruto was calm, Kotero went into the bedroom.

Kotero's eyes shifted to Naruto, he was on the edge of his chair beside his bed. "Get ready," he said. Kotero then turned around and had his feet outside the door. "Don't worry, you're not alone with those feelings."

Naruto watched Kotero close the door behind him. There was a loud clunk as it hit the frame. Naruto moved his eyes to the clock, it read that it was already half ten. Time was running out.

Naruto took off his stripped pyjamas and his dog shaped sleeping cap. He quickly dressed himself in the funeral attire. After putting on his sandals, Naruto walked in front of his mirror. He looked good, it was unfortunate that you should only wear these clothes during funerals.

Naruto wrapped his forehead protector around his head and sighed. "Today is… a shit day."

* * *

 **Hokage Tower, Rooftop**

The skies wept. Rain fell down hard and heavy, covering all those who attended the funeral for Sarutobi Hiruzen, and those who waited on the streets of Konoha to respect their late leader.

The rooftop was a sea of black, nearly all the shinobi of the village were there. There was no smiles or laughs, it wasn't the time for it. All they could do now was mourn and move on.

Kotero was holding back his emotions as he stood beside Asuma. He knew that he wouldn't tear up, Asuma wasn't like that. He had to admire him, he was stronger than he was. Kotero cried himself to sleep for days on end when his mother died.

Kotero looked down to his hands. He was holding a white chrysanthemum, just like everyone else. A tradition for funerals in Konoha to use this flower. In the corner of his eye, he sees Konohamaru crying into his arm. He is quickly hugged in the arms of Naruto, who stood beside Konohamaru.

Kotero saw that the funeral attendees walked in a single file, all leading to a table in front of Hiruzen's portrait. All the flowers were placed on this table, the attendees had a moment of remembrance as they laid their flowers.

Kurenai, who was on Asuma's other side, went into the line. Kotero saw that Asuma had no plans on moving from his spot, his eyes never moved from the flower in his hand.

Kotero exhaled through his nose and went on ahead, he knew Asuma needed time.

The line moved slowly but surely. Kotero saw Kurenai move away from the table once she dropped her chrysanthemum with the others. It was finally his turn.

Kotero walked up to the table with the portrait right in front of him. He looked at the portrait, the old man was smiling. Just like when he died, with a smile on his face. It brought back memories from some time ago, when he was taking care of Gai's team.

 _I know, punching you in the face and smoking are some of the best stress relievers I have ever experienced._

Kotero scoffed lightly. "Stupid old man," he muttered under his breath. He placed his flower down and went back to his spot beside Asuma.

Kotero watched as the genin he was familiar with move along and do their part. Naruto was the last of them to go. He was also the one who took the longest to move on. It made sense, Naruto was essentially the grandchild of Hiruzen. Before he came along, the third Hokage was Naruto's lifeline.

There was one genin missing. He never showed up. Kotero sighed, it was something to worry about later on.

The words of Naruto were heard, but Kotero ignored them. He was being selfish and just wanted to think of nothing, see nothing or even hear anything.

"It's painful when someone dies," he heard Naruto say.

It was true, Kotero had many experiences with that feeling, that pain. No one can escape it.

"Hokage-sama didn't die for anything. You will see it in the future," the voice of Kakashi said.

Naruto exhaled heavily and nodded.

Kotero looked up to the sky and felt his face get soaked with the calm pour of rain. "Death can bring us closer or drive us apart," he said.

Kotero saw Asuma nod slightly from the words, he was glad he got some response from him. He was beginning to get worried from the lack of action, the lack of emotion.

The funeral crowd started to thin out as it was coming to an end. Young and old wished the late Hokage good luck in the afterlife.

Asuma stayed where he was. Kotero looked back and saw Naruto staring at him. Naruto then nodded and turned around, joining up with Shikamaru and the other genin. They left, as with everyone else. It was only Asuma and himself on the rooftop.

Kotero watched as Asuma walked up to the portrait of Hiruzen, with his flower in hand. He stopped once he reached the table. He didn't move an inch afterwards; the rain was getting him all wet.

Kotero flicked his hair, the water shot off. He moved with his hands in his pockets and stood beside Asuma once again. He didn't speak, he would wait until the other was ready.

Moments passed, and nothing changed. Asuma finally sighed heavily and looked at the flower in more detail.

"You know… Tou-san loved flowers, but he never wanted them as presents," Asuma said solemnly.

Kotero nodded. "Is it because they eventually died?" he asked.

Asuma shook his head. "Not really. It was because he never got the flower he loved when he was a kid," he said.

Kotero pursed his lips. "What flower was this?"

"A flower Uzumaki Mito gave him."

Kotero looked to see Asuma with a small smile. "Great Aunt Mito? God, that must have been a long time ago. What flower did she give him?"

Asuma dropped his flower onto the table and sighed. "Rainbow roses. They're rare flowers. They only grow properly in their native land. The land of Whirlpools," he said.

"Rainbow roses… The flower eventually dies if they're taken far away from the island unless they are given to someone who is your true love. I read about that when I was just a kid. We gave some to the Senju clan, but they all eventually died. Maybe Senju Hashirama kept them alive with his amazing ability. And you're saying Jiji got these flowers as a kid," Kotero said.

"That's what Tou-san said. He always wanted to see that flower again before he died."

Kotero watched as Asuma slumped his shoulders. "I'll have to get some when Naruto and I go back to our ancestral home… When the time is right," he said.

Asuma lightly laughed. "Good… I want to see it too."

Asuma took off his forehead protector and stared at the Konoha symbol, the leaf. "Is it all worth it? Dying for the village?" he asked.

"It depends. It's worth it if it's for your loved ones," Kotero answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Asuma said with an exasperated sigh. "I was just thinking what today would be like if I didn't patch things up with Tou-san."

"Don't. What's the point? You would only stew in your negative feelings," Kotero said. "Don't let the past haunt you like it did me."

Asuma took out his pack of cigarettes and stared at it. "Tou-san and I were in a bad place a few years back. All it took was for you to say that he thought I was one of his best ninja. Now, he's dead."

Kotero chuckled. "That was the first time we met. Remember, you were waiting outside the Hokage's office," he said.

"I do remember. It feels like so long ago now. Does the Uzumaki affect time?"

"No, we can't control time. I would turn back time if I could."

"To when?" Asuma asked.

Kotero pursed his lips again. "Before my own Tou-chan died. That would be fifteen years ago," he said.

"I remember you said he was your motivator to get stronger. You trained soon after he died, right? Would that be worth it? You would never have met Naruto, or Konoha?"

Kotero shook his head. "Those are questions I can't answer. What do you want me to say?"

Asuma grunted. "Forget about it. Though, you and Naruto… you two really helped out my family. Tou-san and Konohamaru, if it wasn't for you two, I would still be distant with them."

Kotero smiled. "Not a problem."

"There is only one thing I regret," Asuma said.

Kotero turned his head to Asuma. "What's that?" he asked.

"I always wanted to have a family. Tou-san always wanted to see my own family. My kid, my wife and me. Bring them over to Tou-san when he's resting in his retirement. Talk then have dinner and have fun. Now, it's impossible," Asuma said.

"That's a nice dream. Just like my own," Kotero said. "A family is all I want."

The two stood in silence once again. The rain hasn't stopped yet. They were both getting soaked to the bone.

"There's been a question in my head ever since I found out. I didn't know how to ask it… or if it's appropriate to do so. You, or Kakashi, or even Gai. I didn't know who to ask," Asuma said in a sad tone.

"What do you need to ask that all three of us have in common?" Kotero asked.

Asuma sighed. "What am I supposed to do now with both my parents gone?" he asked. "I don't know what to do."

Kotero hummed at the question. He was all too familiar with it. "You have two choices. Stay in the past and let it haunt you. Or, move forward and make a new path, your own path. That's all you can do," he said. "Unfortunately, things will get back to normal shortly. But Jiji won't be around to see it."

"He won't," Asuma said, holding back tears. "He really is gone."

Kotero could see Asuma was on the verge of tears. He needed to do something.

Kotero turned his body to Asuma and spread out his arms. "Asuma, your sadness, your sorrow. Lay it all on me. I'm here for you," he said.

Before he even knew, Kotero was crushed by a mighty hug from Asuma. He could feel tears soaking his left shoulder. Kotero wrapped his arms around Asuma and rubbed his hand in a circular pattern on Asuma's back. He knew the pain all too well. He wished he had someone to hold on to when he was suffering.

"Kotero. I have to tell you the truth. I love you man, like a brother," Asuma admitted. "You always have my back."

Kotero pats Asuma's back with a small smile. "Hopefully you have mine," he said.

Asuma pulled out of the hug quickly and coughed into his hand. "Yeah… I do, don't worry," he said.

Kotero saw that the rain stopped. He looked up and saw the sun was coming out. "Hey Asuma," he said.

"Yeah, what is it?" Asuma asked.

Kotero raised his fist and stretched it out towards him. "We're family, right?"

Asuma smiled with a nod. He raised his fist and bumped it with Kotero's. "Yeah, we're family."

* * *

 **Konoha Park**

The sun had made quick work of the wet. The rain that passed soaked the ground and covered the blades of grass with rainwater. However, the Konoha summer wasn't over and the grass dried on the outside, perfect to sit on to bask in the sunlight.

Naruto was resting on the grass in the main park found in Konoha. He wasn't alone, there was Sakura, team eight, nine and ten. The only person missing was Sasuke, who was also not at the funeral.

Naruto was wondering where he could be. He hasn't heard anything about him ever since the Konoha invasion from Oto and Suna as well as Operation Earthquake from Iwa.

To his right was Shikamaru, who was lying on his back watching the clouds drift through the skies. He truly missed his favourite activity.

To his left was Chōji. It was a shock to Naruto that Chōji hasn't eaten anything since breakfast. Usually the boy would have eaten second breakfast or early lunch already by now. The Hokage's funeral has put a wrench in the works.

The other genin among them kept to themselves. He saw that Rock Lee had a large arm cast and a bandage around his head. Neji had bandages running from the foot he was stabbed up to his ankle. Tenten was as clean as a whistle since she never had to fight.

"Shika, what is going to happen?" Naruto asked. "Jiji isn't with us anymore. Who's going to be the Hokage?"

Shikamaru groaned. "How should I know? Oyaji didn't say anything to me. All he said was that he and the other clan heads have to have a huge council meeting tomorrow to discuss the future plans of the village. I know Aniki has to attend it too," he said.

"Nii-chan does huh? That explains all those papers from this morning," Naruto said. "I really hope nothing bad happens in that meeting. Everyone is on edge, especially him."

Naruto's eyes glossed over the other genin once more. Ino and Sakura were chatting among each other, both looking worried. He knew it was about his missing teammate, his missing friend Sasuke.

"Naruto. Are you ever going to tell me about that power you used during your fight with Lee?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto gulped from the question. He looked to Chōji and saw him watching intently on a blue butterfly. All his focus was on the insect on the flower.

Naruto exhaled through his nose and moved his eyes to Shikamaru's, who was watching him. "I have the Kyūbi sealed in me. That's the power you saw," he told him.

Shikamaru was quiet. He was processing the information given to him. Naruto had a cold sweat run down his spine. He didn't want Shikamaru to react badly to it. He didn't want to lose one of his best friends.

"Is that right?" Shikamaru said. "That's… surprising."

Naruto sighed. "Do you hate me?" he asked. "I would understand if you did, since I never told you about it. Just... please don't treat me like I'm a monster, please."

"No," Shikamaru said. "I don't care about that. It doesn't change anything."

Naruto looked to Shikamaru and saw him stare off into the distance. "Did you suspect it at all? When I used that power, it showed that is wasn't normal."

Shikamaru turned his head and looked at Naruto head on. "The tenth of October. The dates match. The Yondaime defeated it and sealed it into you. He really put you in a tight spot, didn't he?"

Naruto nodded in agreement. "He really did."

A new pair of feet rustled through the grass. Naruto looked up to his left and saw Ino standing before him. He didn't utter a word. She looked like she had something on her mind.

"Ino? What do you want?" Shikamaru asked her once he saw that she came.

Ino growled. "Not you. Him," she said, her eyes targeted on Naruto. "Do you know where Sasuke-kun is Naruto? I haven't seen him. Sakura is freaking over him," she said.

Naruto sighed. "No. I'm worried about him as well," he said.

Ino flinched, she only realised how harsh her words were. She bent down and rested on her knees in front of Naruto. "Sorry, it's just that he's been missing. We're all worried about him. I just thought you would know where he is, since you guys are friends," she said.

The thought was funny to Naruto. If it was him a year ago, he would have laughed in the face of whoever said that he and Sasuke were friends. However, things change quickly, and they were friends now. Their friendship was built on improving each other's strengths. Becoming rivals to overcome their own individual challenges. It grew similar to a flower blossoming.

Naruto knew Sasuke was strong. He could feel it from the short moments of the fight he watched between the now detained Gaara and Sasuke. Someone with Sasuke's power couldn't have simply disappeaered from normal means unless he was against a Jōnin, and a strong one at that.

Naruto ran through his memories and remembered the last image of Sasuke that he saw. A scared expression of Sasuke with his curse mark out, against Shukaku of the desert. Naruto could relate, he was in the presence of two bijū and that scared all the life out of him.

"No, I have no idea where he is. But don't worry too much. Sasuke will come back to us, even if his whole body is broken, he'll come back," Naruto said with confidence.

Ino smiled softly at the words. "How can you be so sure?" she asked.

Naruto smiled himself. "I don't how to describe it. We've sparred daily, we've talked… occasionally, and we nearly died for each other. This whole thing won't stop him from coming back and getting stronger. Sasuke isn't like that," he said.

"I was wrong about you," Ino said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on her. "What do you mean Ino?" he asked.

"Ah, just that you were some idiot and immature. But, you're actually a good guy. I don't know why Sakura complains about you a lot. You do have a good head on your shoulders," Ino said.

Naruto hummed. "I know. Thanks for the words. Us blondes have to stick together."

Ino laughed. "Yeah, you're right about that. But, Naruto, how come you never showed your strength in the academy or even with your fight with Kiba?" she asked.

Naruto scratched his chin. "I didn't need to. And with Kiba, there was something affecting me, so I couldn't have gone full power. Why do you ask Ino?"

Ino shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not going to lie. You were… amazing during your Chūnin exam finals. Like nothing I've ever seen before. You, Lee, Sasuke and Neji were all so far ahead of us, mostly me. I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed about it," she said.

Naruto could see that her confident persona was breaking. The recent fights made it clear as day that she was not in her best shape or mind. She slacked off on her training, she had no desire to improve.

"Are you going to change that?" Naruto asked. "You, Sakura, Hinata, Chōji and Tenten. You just need to do more work. Learn like I did. Train hard and sleep like a baby. Oh, and eat tonnes of food, that always helps!" Naruto advised.

"Having a strong older brother must help in your training," Ino said. "Asuma-sensei just smokes and says something like, 'great work guys'. I really need to give him a kick up the backside," she said.

Naruto giggled. "Nii-chan is busy a lot of the times. That's why whenever we do train together, I cherish every moment and put all my focus into it. I haven't trained with him for over a month," he said. "I really miss it. I just hope he didn't forget to water my plants when I was gone."

"Your plants? You have a garden!?" Ino asked. "You never said anything about that."

"We never talked really Ino. What do you expect?" Naruto asked.

Ino sighed. "And I said you were the idiot, funny. Anyway, Naruto, I would love to see it one day," she said. "You need to invite me to your house in the future."

Naruto waved his hand and brushed it off. "We'll see, we'll see," he said. ' _I invite Neji to come sometime soon and now Ino wants to come over to my house, jeez…_ ' he thought afterwards.

"I'll talk to you later Naruto," Ino said as she got up and walked back over to Sakura.

Naruto sighed a breath of relief. He then heard the light laugher of Shikamaru to his side. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," Shikamaru said. "Nothing at all."

The genin stayed at the park and relaxed under the sun. Most were silent. It was a time to remember the good times.

"Naruto come on, we need to go somewhere."

Naruto turned his head to see his older brother with his hands in his pockets walking slowly towards him. "Nii-chan, what are you here for?" he asked.

Kotero stretched his left shoulder and focused his eyes on Naruto. "We need to say goodbye to Mei and Haku-chan before they leave. They're at the Main gates waiting for us most likely. We shouldn't keep them," he said. "Say goodbye to Shikamaru, Chōji and your other friends if ya want."

Naruto stood up and dusted the freshly cut grass that stuck onto his rear and back. "I'll talk to you two sometime soon," Naruto said, looking between Shikamaru and Chōji.

"See you later."

"Bye Naruto."

The voices of Shikamaru and Chōji said. Naruto turned around and walked towards Kotero. He heard murmurs from behind and looked back, his eyes went over to Hinata. Her body was in his direction. "You say something Hinata?" he asked.

Hinata yelped softly and covered her face in her hands. "No Naruto-kun," she stuttered nervously.

Naruto turned back to Kotero and walked up to him. ' _She really is a quiet girl,_ ' he thought with a sigh.

Kotero and Naruto move their way through the broken village. Signs of repair have already emerged; the clean-up has started. It would take weeks, if not months for everything to be fixed.

"It really is bad," Naruto commented. "Some of these houses look like they're going to collapse."

Kotero agreed with a nod. "I know. It might be better to demolish the buildings and build from the ground up. But, the people will be without homes and they don't want that," he said.

"What can we do to help?" Naruto asked.

Kotero pursed his lips and looked to the sky. "Do missions I suppose. The money we generate would go straight to the village repairs. Most of the ninja would be put to better use out on the field."

"A lot died, didn't they?" Naruto asked.

Kotero nodded. "A lot did. I wouldn't be surprised if the other genin will have to do more missions that should be done by Chūnin. Our numbers really have dwindled. Iwa and Kumo really have become the two strongest hidden villages in the Mainland now. It would be good to stay on Kumo's good side," he said.

"What about Iwa? We have that girl, what will happen?" Naruto asked further.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders. "Iwa said they have one of ours. We need to exchange with them and iron out a peace treaty. Hopefully we can get a bit more out of them since we have a full squad," he said.

Naruto groaned. "They have the better deal. They're the ones who attacked us," he said.

"I know. But we are in no shape to fight them head on. Konoha has become soft and passive. We need to change that if Iwa are going to be this aggressive," Kotero said. "It's the only way. The strong survive, the weak perish."

"We better stop talking about this, I see Haku and Zabuza in the distance," Naruto said. "Who's the guy with blue hair?"

"That's Ao, don't say anything stupid around him," Kotero said. "He complain about the younger generation then."

"Alright then!"

Kotero and Naruto moved their way to the main gates. They received waves from both Mei and Haku. Ao and Zabuza nodded at the Uzumaki brothers and appeared stoic.

Kotero scratched the back of his head once the two brothers stood with the Kiri group. "It's unfortunate that we have to say goodbye with what happened," he said. "It seems both of our villages have suffered a lot in the past year."

Mei smiled and nodded. "You're right Kotero-kun. But, I'm sure it'll bring us together. Fire and water are polar opposites but now I can see us being the best of allies," she said. "Naruto-kun, you truly impressed me during your fights. If you ever want to come to Kirigakure and be one of my ninja, that's always an option."

"Not this routine again," Kotero muttered under his breath.

Naruto lightly jabbed Kotero's side and then puts on one of his biggest smiles. "Thanks. It's nice to know I have fans out there," he said with confidence.

"Kids these days don't know what they're talking about," Ao spat out. "Arrogance and cockiness are the perfect partners."

Mei's eyes darkened, and she then glared at Ao. "Ao… Shut up or I'll kill you," she threatened.

Ao flinched in fright. Mei was showing her vicious side.

"Crimson, blond brat. Good luck," Zabuza said. "This whole thing has been a shit fest for you and Konoha."

"Thank you Zabuza. You words are heart-warming as always," Kotero said with a wry smile.

Haku walked up to Naruto and looked down to him. She was only taller than him by a few inches. "You have to come to Kirigakure Naruto. I want to show you around the village and our recovery," she said. "I'm also sorry for what happened but I know you can make the best of things here."

"Thanks, Haku," Naruto said. "Your words mean a lot."

Mei rested her hands on her hips and focused her eyes onto Kotero. "When things calm down. Send me a personal message on what's going on. I don't exactly trust the late Hokage's associates. I can't put my finger on it, but regardless of that I know for a fact I can trust you two," Mei said. "Come on my lovely ninja, we have to go home."

Mei placed her Kage hat on top of her head, the kanji of water showed itself off. She started to walk backwards toward the main gate. Her subjects followed her slowly. "Don't you two forget that we are friends here. We will do more the next time when you are in trouble, I promise you that. Keep safe now."

"Alright, you four be safe as well," Kotero said loudly, raising his chest high with a wry smile on his face. He and Naruto started to wave them off with heavy hands.

The Kiri group eventually disappeared as they started to walk quickly towards the east back to their home. The wind blew hard once they vanished from Kotero and Naruto's sight.

"What's going to happen now Nii-chan?" Naruto asked.

Kotero rested his chin on top of Naruto's head and hugged him from behind. "I don't know. Good or bad, something is going to happen. But, we'll get through it together as always, right?" he asked.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Of course. That's how we do things around here!"

* * *

 **ROOT Headquarters**

As the only one sitting, Shimura Danzō sat with his thoughts as he loyal ANBU soldiers all knelt in front of him. All were wearing porcelain masks of various creatures, there was very little difference between these ANBU and the Hokage's apart from their clothing.

"The time is coming soon. Konoha is at her worst state. The Great tree could collapse at any minute," Danzō said slowly, making sure that every word had meaning.

All his subjects listened intently. They did not dare to interrupt their leader.

"Hiruzen's reign is over and his beliefs shall not continue. If we, the true servants of Konoha want to be the strongest, we need to take over. There are still many that sway too much power in the politics that we will need to crush before I become the Hokage."

Danzō took a breath and strengthened his grip on his cane.

"The Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi clans. Hatake Kakashi and finally the Uzumaki brothers. If we can dismantle the power that these figures supposedly hold. Konoha will surely look to me to be her ruler."

Danzō looked down to his soldiers. The men and women, the boys and girls that will make him and Konoha great again.

"You will die for my cause. We will aim for the most unstable of the mentioned before. The Uzumaki brothers. One is the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi and the other has weak control of his anger and other emotions. They are simply too powerful to leave alone. I shall aim at them where they are at their weakest and make Konoha turn their backs on them. Destroying their reputations and making the trust between them and the clans weaker. Sai stay, disperse" Danzō said loudly at the end.

The large group disappeared leaving only one boy with a mask completely covering his face.

"Danzō-sama."

The boy, Sai, his voice was monotoned. There was no emotion behind it whatsoever. It was unnatural how natural it came off.

"You have a mission. You are to observe Uzumaki Naruto from a distance and note down his actions. Then you report back to me. This will be important for your future as well as mine," Danzō ordered.

Sai looked up to his master. "And not of the other Uzumaki?"

Danzō shook his head slowly. "No, that will be too dangerous. Despite his lack of emotional control, you will be caught if you attempted to gather hard information on that man. He is strong and smart. A dangerous combination. You most certainly will be caught and killed. Regardless, that man's weakness is the Jinchūriki. I will need as much information as I can get before the Konoha Courts begin. This is the start of the journey of I, Shimura Danzō, becoming the Hokage of Konoha."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	24. Chapter 24 - The Root of the Problem

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **Chapter 24 – The Root of the Problem**

 **Nara Compound**

"Come on you guys, those two will be coming over at any minute!" Nara Yoshino shouted as she prepared multiple large breakfast dishes. Ranging from a simple rice dish to grilled fish. She had it all laid out and ready to go.

Both Shikaku and Shikamaru sighed heavily in synch. The woman has been on their case all morning. Shikamaru was preparing the table while his father was sweeping the floor clean, despite it being spotless.

It has been three full days since the funeral of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Konoha was still grieving but much of the village and her ninja have begun to move on from their lives. Animosity has been brewing within the population and some people such as Shikaku were sure it was going to pop very soon. Whether for better or worse.

Shikamaru laid out plates and chopsticks onto the table, his mother was going all out. Yoshino invited her guests to come over since two of them have to go to an important meeting afterwards. She was also dead worried about them, she wanted to know if they were holding up well after the death of one of their loved ones.

Shikaku placed the brush away and groaned. "You know those two wouldn't care one bit if this place was a dump as long as they got some of your food Yoshino," he said.

Yoshino came in like a storm and stood in front of Shikaku with a downright frightful expression on her face. She pointed her finger at her husband and narrowed her eyes.

"That's no excuse," she said with her mighty voice. "Whenever we get invited over to their house, their place is absolutely spotless, and the food is always delicious. It doesn't make sense since they're both boys! So, I will never host them or anyone in substandard conditions."

Shikamaru yawned as he watched his parents bicker. It has been a while since the two families got together to eat. The last time was just the week before the Chūnin exams. A shiver ran down Shikamaru's back. Those set of exams brought back some real bad memoires.

Shikamaru's senses moved back to his parents, seeing them come out of the kitchen with pots filled with food, covered in lids. Some of the plates' contents were ready to be picked off, the fresh food on them made a great aroma come into the air.

His tummy rumbled when all the smells had hit his nose. It surprised him greatly, he was never one for a large appetite. Shikamaru knew that his mother went all out to make all her boys happy with good food. He was hoping now that they will come sooner than later now, he was hungry.

"Make sure everyone has their own bowls Shikaku, breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Yoshino lamented.

Shikaku exhaled heavily. "That's debatable dear. Look, calm down. They will enjoy this no matter what," he said. "I can promise you that."

 **Knock! Knock!**

All three pairs of the Nara eyes moved to the door. It was time to begin the feast.

"They're here. I'll let them in now," Yoshino said as she walked over to the door, dusting her hands clean off her apron. "I should really take this thing off."

The door opened, and it revealed two people. Both wearing their ninja attire, the Uzumaki brothers smiled once they saw Yoshino. The woman's company always made them happy.

Yoshino smiled herself. "Come in you two. Come on, I made plenty of yummy food," she said as she quickly hugged Naruto first and then Kotero.

Naruto and Kotero returned the hugs and walked inside what they considered a second home.

Naruto sniffed hard through his nose and could smell everything. "Sweet, Yoshino-kaasan is really spoiling us today," he said. "I wanna eat right now."

Kotero pulled back Naruto from his collar before the boy could run off. "Hold your horses there Naruto. Don't be too hasty," he said. "I'm going to eat first."

Naruto puffed up his cheeks and punched Kotero's leg. Kotero grunted and rubbed the punched spot soothingly. The kid put way too much power into it.

"Jeez Naruto. I'm going to get a nasty bruise if you keep doing that," Kotero said. "Yoshino, the usual seats?" he asked afterwards.

Yoshino nodded with her hands on her hips. "Yes. But Kotero, are you ok? You have bags under your eyes," she said with concern.

Kotero threw her a smile and waved her off. "Yeah, I'm all good. Couldn't get to sleep last night, my room was too warm even with the windows open," he said.

Yoshino shook her head but formed a smile on her lips. She then clapped her hands and moved to her spot. "Alright! The food is going to get cold if we don't eat now," she said.

Shikaku moved his way to the head of the table as Yoshino and Shikamaru took their seats at opposite sides. Kotero took off his shinobi sandal boots and Naruto took off his shinobi sandals. They placed them beside the others.

The Uzumaki brothers come over to the Nara household so much that they have their own spots for their footwear.

Naruto went over first and plopped to the ground without grace beside Shikamaru. Kotero cracked his back as he stalked over and sat down between Shikaku and Yoshino.

As of routine, each took food from the various platters and bowls and made a wonderful, fresh breakfast. "Thank you for the meal," they all said altogether.

Yoshino saw Naruto and Shikamaru converse with each other like always. She smiled in joy. She found out herself that Shikamaru was finally revealed to one of many of the dark secrets which lay deep into Konoha's. The secret in question was Naruto being the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki. It was obvious from looking between the boys, nothing has changed. This made her so proud of her son.

Yoshino looked to her left and saw Kotero eat his food in silence, it was strange. By now, he and her husband would be on some cryptic and strange tangent on some event happening in the Mainland. However, there was only silence between them. That wasn't right. It wasn't right at all.

Yoshino could see it in Shikaku's eyes that he has something to say, something big but he is clearly holding back from saying anything. He noticed the quietness as well. He wasn't a Jōnin commander for nothing.

"Kotero, is your tongue tied up?" Yoshino asked with a warm smile. She moved her head and looked at his eyes which were staring at his food. They were dull, completely out of focus.

The voice of Yoshino shook Kotero, he looked at her. Yoshino saw the true clarity of his eyes return.

Kotero laughed and scratched his chin in embarrassment. "No, no. It's not tied up. Just… thinking about some stuff," he said.

Yoshino huffed. "Now, you're being secretive again Kotero. Come on, tell me, I thought we were like a close family," she said.

Kotero bit his lip. "I don't really want to talk about it. It's just stuff that happened before I came to Konoha. What I should be doing is eating this scrumptious food in front of me. Oh yum, grilled mackerel, lucky us. Thank you, Yoshino, your cooking is top-class," he said.

Yoshino shook her head and dug slowly into her own meal. She doesn't like it when she is deflected like that. She however did not ride the questioning out; the woman could just tell that Kotero simply did not want to talk about it at that moment. She knows that he will eventually tell her, as she has some idea of what is troubling him.

Shikaku knew that Kotero was in a state to talk. He loosened his shoulders and sighed once he was ready, the topic was quite heavy. "Did you hear about those abductions going around the Land of Fire Kotero?" he asked. "There were more reports just before the finals."

Kotero drank some water and nodded a yes. He placed the water down and shifted his eyes to Shikaku. "I know. Awful stuff. Only one body was found but the man's eyes were gouged out. There were also signs of torture according to other sources. Strangest thing was the supposed chakra burns," he said. "These people were normal citizens; the majority should have no control over their dormant chakra."

"As astute as ever. It must have been chakra forced into their systems. I just wonder why they would do it," Shikaku said. "There's only one reason that comes to mind."

Kotero pursed his lips in thought. "It can be a way to poison a target. You could also leave some of your chakra in another's system, so you can be more familiar with them. I don't think those work with this. You can unlock your chakra if another puts their chakra into you, it's risky though. That can lead to illness if not done properly. It's always better to do it by yourself," he said.

"Makes sense, it's like putting viruses in your body, you have no idea what will happen," Shikaku said. "It'll be something to look out for in the future. Most of the abductions have occurred in the rural villages northeast in the Land of Fire," he continued. "Something might happen in another country if we don't get to shut it down first."

"Northeast, huh?" Kotero said as he leaned slightly back. "Near two countries, the Lands of Frost and Lightning. Unfortunately, we can't do anything until we have our new Hokage. If we can say anything right now, it's most likely a rouge ninja if we're dealing with chakra. This behaviour is cult like, isn't it?" Kotero said.

Shikaku agreed with a nod. "It is. Maybe we can convince the Daimyō to give us the mission. No wait, we can't do that. Our numbers are too small for the moment, it would only lead into making Konoha weaker. We have to rise from our ashes," he said.

Kotero smiled grimly and nodded himself. "Couldn't have said it better myself. No location on the targets' base, multiple abductions and possible political bullshit. Doesn't sound good. Also, the Daimyō now wouldn't allow us. He is too selfish and greedy, unlike his father. The poor man is bed-ridden and gave the duties to his son. Being pampered has produced a selfish brat who's in charge of the whole nation," he spat.

Shikaku lightly laughed. "Brat? You're younger than him," he said.

Kotero ate some food and shook his head. "Doesn't change who he is," he said. "I don't like him. If his father just has a simple illness, he should have recovered by now. It's been over four months!"

"I think that's enough talking about the things happening outside of Konoha. I think you two should be more worried about our internal affairs, right boys?" Yoshino said, her words aiming for Naruto and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru turned his head to the rest, he had a question in his eye. "I'm just wondering why you two came here for breakfast today?" he asked.

Naruto slapped the back of Shikamaru with a big grin. "Do we need a reason!? No, we don't. We can come whenever we want, and I know we would have the best time ever!" he said. "Right Niichan!?"

Kotero grinned himself. "Yeah, you're a hundred percent right. Shikamaru, is it that you don't want us here?" he teased. "I can't believe that you don't like us!"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head sluggishly. "It's not that at all. I was just curious. You're one of my best friends and you're my bro, come on. Don't be troublesome and just tell me," he said.

Yoshino giggled whilst Shikaku chuckled at their son's words. "I'll tell you soon," Shikaku said. "There's a big meeting going to happen very soon. Kotero and I need to attend it to discuss the future of Konoha. But, I wanted to talk to him about what we will be discussing and the consequences of it all. A plan of action basically."

"What will you be talking about?" Shikamaru asked. "It'll probably take all day."

"Why do you think I prepared so much food!?" Yoshino said. "It's because these two will be inside nearly all day. You should be thanking your lucky stars that you aren't in their positions."

Shikamaru sighed a breath of relief. "Then, what should we do for the day?" he asked. "We can't go on missions and Asuma-sensei said there's no training until everything calms down."

Yoshino waved her hands. "We don't care. Help around the village by not getting into trouble," she suggested.

"I would second that," Shikaku said. "All the influential and wealthy civilians will be at this meeting. They don't want any more damage done to the village, so Shikamaru it might be a good idea just to train at the back or even at Naruto's place."

"Training? Yeah Shikamaru! That sounds fun," Naruto said with excitement. "We should do that."

Shikamaru felt a cold sweat come on the spot once it clicked together. Training with an Uzumaki? Shikamaru would rather run away. The horrible memories of Kotero's one-week boot camp training came rushing back to him. "Never again," he murmured under his breath.

Kotero laughed lightly at Shikamaru's reaction but it quickly died down. "I'm sure the severity of Iwagakure's 'Operation Earthquake' will be the main topic of this meeting. I'm not looking forward to it at all," he said.

"That reminds me," Naruto said, moving his way to stand between Kotero and Shikaku. "What's going to happen to Shika and I with the finals. We fought and stuff. Shouldn't we be considered Chūnin already?"

Shikaku sighed while he crossed his arms and closed his weary eyes. "Is that all you're thinking about Naruto? You're a troublesome kid can't even think of anything apart from yourself," he said.

"You still haven't answered the question Shikaku-ojisan," Naruto said with a sly smile. "So, what is it?"

"Yes, you can still be potentially promoted to Chūnin," Shikaku yawned out. "However, nobody can sign it off bar the Hokage. So, you will have to wait until then."

Naruto scoffed at the answer. "Come on! I worked so hard. All I want is to have that jacket now. It'll make things a little better."

Naruto felt arms wrap around him from behind and a motherly kiss placed on top of his head. "Never change Naruto," Yoshino said as she held him tighter. "Never change."

Shikaku got up from the floor. "It's time to go. Come on Kotero, we can't be late for this," he said, already making his way to the door.

Kotero looked down to his hand and sighed. "Don't worry Shikaku. We won't be late for the opening act."

* * *

 **ROOT Headquarters**

Sitting peacefully deep within his own confines, Shimura Danzō was thinking. Thinking hard of every potential move that could happen within the next few hours. If he played his cards right, the low support that he has could grow tenfold. Of course, the same could be said if things run away from his grasp.

However, being in such a low position before coming means that it couldn't get any worse.

Danzō doesn't care if most of the village officials dislike him. He doesn't like them either. All he cares for is Konoha plain and simple. He would do anything for the village.

Breathing in and tightening his grip on his trusty cane, Danzō looked down to the very few notes he wrote for himself.

Drifting his lone eye to a scroll on his desk, a new scroll that was very recently written out by one of his subordinates. It was the report from Sai on his findings about the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, Uzumaki Naruto.

The report was filled with trivial information. But reading over it made one point perfectly clear. Uzumaki Naruto, and his brother to add to the fact stayed in their residential premise for long periods of time.

The younger brother stayed home whilst the elder went and aided those who were injured in the recent attacks.

Both were taking the death of his former comrade very heavily, much more so than he did.

Exhaling loudly, Danzō stared off into some random space, he was imagining his future. Konoha's future.

"The Jinchūriki is irreplaceable. The other is expendable. For Konoha to become the strongest, I must break them both. It will be decided soon. I will have my reign."

* * *

 **Konoha Grand Council Auditorium**

 **Hokage Mountain Heart Chambers**

"Here we are. What do you think of it?"

"Why are you asking me that Shikaku? we're only at the entrance."

Kotero and Shikaku were just outside Hokage mountain. Behind the Hokage tower, squads of ANBU spent days forming a new auditorium for the meetings between the Hokage and the two councils. Both men laughed with each other's words. They were both in good moods. They would have to be for what's to follow.

Kotero watched as some recognisable Jōnin entered the new chambers, there was even the civilian council and some of the wealthy citizens in Konoha which bring a large income in the trade market.

Seeing someone he recognised, he had to call them out. A man with black spikey hair and his iconic sunglasses.

"Aoba, how are you doing?" Kotero asked loudly as he watched Aoba walk towards the entrance. A friendly gesture in the morning should always cheer the people around up.

The reaction surprised him. Aoba grew a small snarl and grunted heavily. Turning his head and face away from Kotero, he walked away and went towards the meeting place.

"What's his problem? I don't like this. This is going to become a brewing pot full of trouble," Kotero said. "Only one has to set things off and everything will fall apart."

Shikaku agreed with a nod. "There has always been a balance, courtesy of the Hokage. But he's dead now and we don't have a replacement. The ninja don't know what to do and the normal citizens are both worried and ambitious. We might need another meeting after this to sort out who's going to be our main candidate," he said. "There's simply too much to discuss for one day."

Kotero dug his left hand into his pocket and sighed. "We should get a move on. It would be bad if we got the worst seats in the house," he said, not waiting and walking ahead.

Shikaku grunted and followed suit. "Do you have all those reports condensed down for your part? I'm sure many would like to hear about the kill counts and injuries," he asked.

Kotero descended the stone steps with Shikaku by his side. He tightened his grip on his thick scroll in his right hand which he wrote everything down on.

"Yeah, everything is here. But I feel like I'm going to get some hate for reading it out," he said. "You know how people are, especially if they lost someone that they love. A man from the Iwa attack said I killed his sister… He really wanted me dead."

"These people all want the best for Konoha. I hope it doesn't come to that," Shikaku said. "It would set a bad standard for the village."

Kotero snorted. "Jeez Shikaku. That's very optimistic of you. Am I to believe you're the Shikaku that I know or are you a fake?" he accused. Kotero then felt a quick smack on the back of his head.

"I can be optimistic when I need to be," Shikaku said. "I'd would even say that it is the upmost of importance as of right now."

"Whatever," Kotero said. "Just don't get your hopes up."

Kotero and Shikaku reached the bottom of the stone stairs. There were lights already installed into the walks, the cables hidden from view. Kotero was surprised in how much work the ANBU had put in so far. The floor and walls had intricate patterns, no doubt that the work was done by a very experienced Earth ninjutsu user.

The two walked ahead and entered a large space. An auditorium like what was described briefly to them. There were many rows with wooden chairs. All freshly made. All the seats had a wooden rest to place your belongings or notes.

Kotero quickly counted the number of seats roughly in his mind. ' _No doubt they could hold well over two hundred people here, maybe even three hundred. The ANBU really did go all out with this one,_ ' he thought.

The seats all pointed towards a stage with a large black chalkboard on the wall. There was a grand carved stone table with chairs. Kotero assumed that is where the Hokage and his or her advisors would seat.

There was two large stone chairs beside each other, all decorated sashes with the Konoha symbol. To Kotero, it could only be a seat for someone on the same rank as the Hokage, the Fire Daimyō.

For a village that was attacked by three opposing forces, it was a true surprise to Kotero that the auditorium was decked out with red carpet. There were banners in a beige and navy colour that had the Konoha leaf on the bottom hanging off the walls.

Everything seemed a bit strange to him. Like they were avoiding the elephant in the room until the meeting started.

Kotero felt a tug on his shoulders, he knew it was Shikaku. Kotero turned his head and followed him. They sat down beside each other and rested. Kotero looked between the seats beside and in front of him. There was plenty of space to move out and leave your spot.

"They really planned this place out. It will be easy for people to move out and speak to the crowd in front of them," Kotero said.

Shikaku nodded. "This was designed a long time ago but never was followed through. The attack damaged the small council chambers in the Hokage tower. Homura-san and Koharu-san suggested we build this place rather than rebuild it there," he said. "This way we can hear everyone's opinion without having to play cat and mouse."

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

Shikaku shrugged his shoulders. "The only thing we can do is sit and wait," he said. "Danzō, Homura and Koharu have yet to make their appearance. Those three will be the heads of this meeting. We should prepare ourselves if any outrageous requests come from them."

"Outrageous requests?" Kotero repeated. "If that's coming from your mouth, I should be getting scared."

The two watched as more and more took their seats. Two familiar people came down the stairs and joined their row.

"There you are," Asuma said, wiping his face with his hands. "I was wondering where you could be."

Kotero smiled. "I thought my hair would make that easy for you. Kakashi, how're you doing?" he asked.

Kakashi groaned. "I was doing fine Kotero, until I got pulled out from my own thing," he said with a hint of annoyance.

Asuma grunted heavily. "Kakashi, it was better that I did it rather than Gai. If you were late for this thing, you would have gotten into deep shit," he said. "I did you a big favour."

Kakashi waved him off. "Yeah sure. Just remember, you owe me something for this. I wouldn't mind a snack or sweet," he said.

Kotero lightly laughed. "Kakashi, I don't think you're in any position to demand anything. Just drink some Sake at the Shadow's bar and forget about it. It's what the kids are doing these days," he said.

Asuma shook his head. "Isn't the law for any under twenty can't drink alcohol?" he said.

Kotero scoffed. "And who actually abides to that rule. Asuma, you broke that law when you were sixteen by stealing Jiji's stash. I did it when I was the same age but with my Kaa-chan's."

Asuma nodded with a slight sigh. "I forgot you remember too much on what you hear. They should change the laws if too many are doing it underage. But the Daimyō is the only one who can do that. At least I only did it sparingly," he said.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't change the fact that you did it. Anyway, the Hokage's advisors are here. We should quiet down," he said, he put away his limited edition of the Icha-Icha book. "Seems like I can't get some good morning reading after all."

Just as Kakashi said, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu came in and sat in the stone seats on the stage. There were cushions underneath to ensure the ultimate comfort.

There was much chatter among the various people in the auditorium. Kotero could see that his side on the right-hand side were comprised of ninja and the left-hand side was comprised of the influential and wealthy citizens.

They should all be thinking of the future of Konoha and her best interests, but Kotero had a suspicious feeling that the civilians will have greedy thoughts. Hopefully not all of them, after all both sides need each other to prosper.

Kotero saw the old woman, Utatane Koharu stand up from her seat with a file of papers in her hands.

"It looks like everyone is here. Good, now we can begin. Welcome all to the first meeting between the shinobi and civilians of Konoha. This will be the first meeting of the Konoha Courts. Please keep silent until it is your turn to report. Otherwise, raise your hand and call politely to ask a question. This has to be civilised from start to finish," she said. "We will not tolerate any mischievous behaviour."

Homura stood up beside Koharu and coughed into his hand.

"This meeting will greatly determine the future of our wonderful village. Cooperating with each other will only lead to Konoha's glory. It is not gone, only lost for the moment. We recovered time and time again. After the events of the Kyūbi attack, we did not falter afterwards. No, we stood strong. We need to do the same, we can't let our enemies get the upper hand in this," he said.

Kotero watched as Homura stood back down in his seat, which was beside Danzō. The man didn't stand up to give a speech. Kotero narrowed his eyes on the man who only had one eye. Hiruzen never told him how Danzō lost the eye. It was a mystery to him as well. Or what even happened to his right arm.

The only explanation was that Danzō must have been caught in an accident in the early days of ROOT when it was officially operational. That however did not convince Kotero. Danzō was Hiruzen's rival, there was no way a ninja with that much pedigree and skill could simply get caught in an accident in a division he founded.

Or maybe, just maybe it was really an accident. What a headscratcher.

Kotero shrugged his shoulders, maybe he will never find out. It wasn't particularly interesting anyway, it was just annoying for him. As if the man was hiding something big. Kotero was curious, but not enough to go out of his way to find out the secrets of an old man who keeps to himself all day.

Kotero leaned back and made himself comfortable. The meeting already started but he was in a good mood. ' _The Konoha Courts, huh? That's a good name. Those old coots outdone themselves there,_ ' he thought.

His eyes drifted back to Danzō, the only one who was different from the rest.

 _I don't see you as an important part of Konoha. You've only been here for nearly three years. A mercenary with an honorary badge at best. Thought you might like to get reminded of that._

The harsh words of Danzō ran through his mind. Kotero wondered if that was the opinion of most of Konoha. It wouldn't surprise him, he was an outsider after all. There's only so much he can do in three years of residing in Konoha. At least most of the Shinobi respect him for his skills and mission record.

Koharu coughed into her hand and then scanned the room. "I will start things off then. As all of you are aware, the recent simultaneous attack from Iwagakure, Otogakure and Sunagakure has devastated Konoha. From very bottom to the top. Everyone has been affected, she said.

Taking a breath, she continued. "The worst cases are the Central Square where the markets is held and the Konoha defence boundary, otherwise known as the walls. It hasn't been completely determined but we can safely assume that over ninety percent of the property damage was caused by the Iwa ninja."

Kotero swallowed the grave news. It was hard to digest. Damage to the property is costly, but having it all by one enemy force, with it being the smallest of the three was worrying.

Kotero knew from previous reports that Iwa have been performing well since his mission to the Land of Stone. Their failed mission to bring his head has led them to improve both their ninja and economy.

Koharu looked around the auditorium, looking for someone specific. "Yuriko Koike-san, please can you continue with your report," she said.

Yuriko Koike, a member of the Civilian council stood from her seat with a grim smile. She had a piece of paper which was covered in tiny writing. How the hell could she even read it?

"Of course. The final report has come, and it isn't good news. The Hokage tower has received severe damage. Most of the walls have holes going all the way through. More ANBU have had to be stationed there to make sure we don't allow any illegal immigrants from coming into our village.

This is however costing us money which we are currently running out of," she said. "This is miserable times."

Everyone nodded with the statement and waited to listen to more.

"The markets area has been severely damaged. The ground has been exposed to the ninja techniques of those Iwa ninja and ruptured. Nearly all the neighbourhoods in the eastern district have been torn to pieces. The least amount of damage was found in the western sector of Konoha, however the western sector is the least populated and has the least amount of density in facilities," Yuriko Koike said.

Kotero sighed at the news. It was completely true. His and Naruto's home was virtually untouched. There was one sign of a break-in attempt through the front door, however there were seals protecting it. Kotero assumed it was either an Oto ninja, an Iwa ninja or worst of all, a looter.

There were many gruntled noises coming from various people. It wasn't just one group, it was nearly everybody.

Kotero saw Tsume growl under her breath when the words were said. Her clan grounds were vandalised during the attack. He found out from the woman herself that the sheds and kennels were damaged beyond belief. The worst part was that over half the food stock became spoilt. Kotero felt bad for the animals in their care. The Inuzuka clan didn't cater just for the canine species, they also housed cats and other animals.

"Thank Yuriko Koike-san, you may sit. We will now hear of the established clans of Konoha say their piece on the damage they received," Koharu said. "We will begin with the Aburame clan. Shibi, please begin."

A man covered by a heavy coat stood up. Kotero's eyes picked up on the man, he was in the crowd of people. It was surprise how he didn't see him in the first place, but Kotero knew his eyes always moved away from him. Was it an Aburame curse to be ignored by the general public?

"The forest where we dwell was untouched. We have nothing to report," Shibi said, with his usual calm monotonic voice.

Kotero felt Shikaku lean towards him. "That's more than he usually says. Lucky us," he said with hints of sarcasm running through his voice.

Koharu nodded. "Akimichi Chōza, will you please tell us what happened to your clan grounds," she said.

Kotero heard a heavy man get to his feet behind his ears. He looked behind and saw Chōza stand up with a sour puss on his face. "The Akimichi clan houses are all fine on the outside, however, some of our houses were ransacked of goods. The fridges and food storages were all destroyed. It made me and my fellow clansmen very frustrated," he said with anger.

The people in the auditorium had to listen to similar reports for all the other clans. Kotero was surprised that both Asuma and Kakashi had to talk as well. He had nearly forgotten that Hiruzen was the head of the Sarutobi clan, and Asuma was next in line. They both spoke without wavering.

' _How times change so quickly,_ ' Kotero thought.

Time had passed, and everyone had said their piece apart from one.

"And finally, will Yamanaka Inoichi tell us to conclude the damage done to the individual clans in Konoha," Koharu said. She took a glass of fresh water and jugged it down, all this talking had made her throat dry.

Inoichi, who was sitting beside Chōza, stood up. His eyes and facial expression was stern. "There wasn't much damage done to the majority of the Yamanaka members. However, my flower shop and home were heavily damaged. Myself, my wife and daughter are staying in a house owned by the clan, but all my property has been damaged," he said.

They whole discussion about the property damage had bored Kotero to a great extent. It was a broken record, with only new voices when it came to repeat the track. He felt bad for them, of course, but it quickly grew old.

Koharu sighed and slumped her shoulders. "We shall move onto what's next on the agenda. Homura? Danzō? What's next to discuss?" she asked.

"The death count and the injured," Danzō said. "That needs to be discussed."

Homura agreed by nodding. He was in no mood for wasting time.

Koharu looked at the list sighed once more. "The one who will tell us about the injured, dead and the hospital status will be… Uzumaki Kotero. Will you please stand and tell us your report?" she asked.

Kotero felt his heart beat a little faster. He grunted as he stood up and took out his papers from the brown envelope he held. He heard many grunts and groans throughout the crowd. Mainly from the left side. He hadn't even spoken a word, and the first impression was going down the drain.

"Of course, Koharu-san," Kotero said. "I think it would be best if we began with the death count. Fortunately, despite the high numbers of enemies within the village during the surprise attack, the overall fatalities are just lower whilst comparing it to the Kyūbi attack thirteen years prior to this. Most of the deaths are comprised of Chūnin ninja.

From my judgement, it would be reasonable to suggest that since Genin had an extraordinarily little part in the evacuations and the fighting, they had the least amount of danger. This shows since there was no reported deaths in any of the Genin ranks. Most were forced to go to the safety bunkers. There were Jōnin that were killed in action, but the number is relatively low. The Chūnin however, were the highest and the most worrying.

Since the ninja forces of Konoha before the attack are fifty percent Chūnin, fifteen percent Jōnin, fifteen percent Genin and the rest ANBU, it is absurdly clear that the Chūnin were our biggest fighting group. With recent reports, their numbers have decreased down to half. Considering that our largest forces were of ninja with the rank of Chūnin, this is extremely worrying news.

Even though we have to grieve over the losses of our fellow comrades, the reported deaths of civilians were low. They saved the children and the people who couldn't fight.

I will call out the number of reported deaths with their ranking.

Genin, zero deaths.

Chūnin, three thousand and four hundred deaths.

Jōnin, three hundred and fifty-two hundred deaths.

ANBU soldiers, classified.

ANBU Black OP Squads, classified.

Civilian fatalities, ninety-eight."

Kotero took a deep breath. He looked around and saw everyone had their eyes glued onto him. He swallowed his built-up salvia and knew he had to continue.

"The main causes of death were simple stab wounds in crucial anatomical areas, direct hits from elemental jutsu or being caught in other jutsu attacks and being caught in heavy-duty explosives. The main weapons used and found in the corpses were kunai, short swords such as a tantō and a whole range of diamond like weapons.

The jutsu ranged from all elements, however there was a significant number of areas obliterated by Earth ninjutsu and the heavy-duty explosives. These areas are some of the areas where a majority of causalities were found. The investigation of how the explosives were planted in nearly every single key location in Konoha has bared no fruit. I had received word before this meeting that more investigations will proceed.

Most of the deaths sustained happened within the first ten minutes of the invasion attack. Even though the late Hokage-sama prepared for the threat for Orochimaru, we still underestimated both Suna and Oto. It didn't help one bit that Iwa came and fought as well. The casualties would have been significantly lower if they were not part of the attack.

The good news is that those admitted into emergency care that only sustained non-life-threatening injuries are recovering well. A few number of them have already started the rehab programs for broken limbs. The nurses have been working tirelessly this past week. The majority, however, will take a minimum of two months to go back to peak condition.

The hospital is over crowded with patients from this attack and we didn't have enough staff before the attack, each and every person who can use the **Healing Palm Technique** has been called in and has worked overtime. Some of the nurses have already collapsed from low chakra levels and the high-stress work environment.

From the results of the current reports and the events leading after the attack, it would be wise to improve on our medical system. When we create plans to reconstruct the village of Konoha, it would be smart to introduce a medic-ninja program.

This way a four-man cell would have at least one member with adept knowledge on anatomy and medical practices. The rate of survival would significantly rise if we introduce this program. This would help with mission success for long-termed missions in friendly or enemy territory, and if we are at war in the future. A medic-nin that has skill in both in fighting and healing has now become extraordinarily rare in this village.

It is also essential to renovate the hospital to house the training school for these medic-nin. Konoha hospital needs more beds to house our sick and injured. This is one of the priorities that should be high on all of our lists. It is a problem we have to solve sooner rather than later.

That is all I have to report Koharu-san."

Kotero sighed a breath of relief once he was done talking. He quickly went to his seat to get a bottle of water and didn't hesitate to drink from it.

Koharu nodded after Kotero finished. "Thank you, Kotero-san," she said. "We will think about your proposal for the future."

As she sat back down, Homura stood up. "Now that the Chūnin exams were mentioned in the report, I would feel that it is necessary to say that the multiple Daimyō that visited had already told us of their displeasures. It is a worrying trend, one that may lead to a large drop of outside mission requests. High-profile missions will become harder to come by, with this, we can no longer assume that we will be getting large rewards anytime soon," he said.

"What does this mean then?" Shikaku called out his question from the stands. Most were surprised that anyone would speak out in such a fashion.

Kotero smiled at the man. The same question was on his mind.

Homura coughed into his head and focused his eyes on Shikaku. "Until all of this has calmed down and show the world we can still perform to the highest level, we are considering raising taxes in all sectors of the budget," he said. "Kishihiro Oda was the one who said that if we don't we won't be able to garner the money to repair every damaged and broken facility in Konoha."

"WHAT!"

Multiple uproars erupted throughout the auditorium. A lot of people on both sides stood from their seats in anger.

Kotero resisted the urge to join in. Paying taxes was bad enough, paying a higher price seemed dreadful. He knew one thing though, if he made a show of himself here, it would only harm the neutral reputation he had in Konoha. He had to keep that intact, for his and Naruto's future.

"Silence!" a new man's voice shouted. "This is no way to talk. Everyone calm down and let us discuss this like adults."

Homura looked the man and sighed. "Okuno Shinsuke-san, thank you for being the voice of reason," he said. "It seems that you have something to say. Tell us what is on your mind."

Kotero looked to the bald man who was standing with confidence. Okuno Shinsuke, one of the four members of the civilian council along with Kishihiro Oda and Yuriko Koike. This man was responsible for all the infrastructure of Konoha. He actively worked with the higher echelon of shinobi in the village. Mainly the large clans found throughout the village.

Okuno Shinsuke nodded and rested his hands on his hips. His large beard was the only hair to be found. A char black, the same as the hair he had in his youth according to the locals.

"I understand what he's insinuating with raising taxes. It is one solution that will solve our problem, but it will clearly create more problems in the future da-ro," Okuno Shinsuke said with a grunt. "Many people have no homes as of right now and probably won't until the end of the year. And you expect them to pay more taxes!?"

Many cheers were heard all around the auditorium. Many were not happy with the idea.

"What else can we do? Uzuki Kumiko said that from her predictions, our trades will decrease in value since we will have to pump the rest of our finds back into repairs and the people," Homura said. "This will be a time where everyone will have to make sacrifices to make Konoha great again."

Kotero sighed as the crowds erupted in an uproar again. However, the name caught his interest. From his experience, Uzuki Kumiko was a lovely woman. Being the mother of Yūgao, it was no surprise that both mother and daughter shared similar personalities. He remembered their first true meeting as if it was yesterday. Yūgao was off-duty following a nasty accident where she fell ill from a venom attack.

It was during his second year of living in Konoha and he helped nurse her back to health. Not only did he meet her mother Kumiko, but his friendship with Hayate improved. Kotero found it a damn shame that he has died. He could clearly see it, they were perfect for each other. He never believed in soul mates, but it was one case where it would have been fine to call it that.

Ever since the death of Hayate, Yūgao has become closed off. Not only has it affected her, but also her mother. Kotero wished that both the Gekkō and Uzuki families will move on and grow stronger because of it.

"Make sacrifices?" Okuno Shinsuke said. "We do that every day, so the ninja of this village can survive and prevail. Now you want us to do more da-ro. What else do you want? All my money? My wife and daughter? My life?"

Homura wiped the sweat building on his forehead and exhaled heavily through gritted teeth. "No. Don't exaggerate things. You are only putting your frustrations from the last few days on us and the ideas presented to you all. Don't eat your own words and act like an adult like you said so yourself," he said. "We shouldn't be selfish here. If Konoha recovers, we all recover. Let's make Konoha great again."

 **Bang! Bang!**

Kotero watched as the time bomb of a crowd became silent once the cane of Danzō struck the floor twice. He stood from his seat, staring down and Homura to make him sit down. His one eye then glossed over the crowd. The man was unreadable, most of the time. Kotero couldn't decide whether the man was furious or simply annoyed.

"There is one fact that has stayed true since the dawn of this village. Since the day Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara shook hands and established this village. This is a Hidden Village. A ninja village," Danzō said sternly. "All of those who do not work in the shinobi system have to remember that we protect you. We protect the village. It is only fair that you give us the resources to survive and protect the great tree that is Konoha."

Nobody dared to utter a word against the man. His aura did enough to buy everyone's silence, only if it was for a brief few moments.

"There are many reasons why we are in this situation," Danzō continued. "Hiruzen was too soft. After he was chosen to have the position of Hokage once again after the death of the Yondaime, he was careless and changed little after the Kyūbi attack. What we need now is a leader who will not tolerate such acts."

Kotero grunted, his anger was growing. Insulting a man soon after his death was one of the ultimate signs of disrespect. Especially for a man who lived and died for his village. However, he had to keep himself in check. It was nor the time or place to speak out.

"In the Eastern Forest of Konoha. I'm sure many saw the fight between the Ichibi of Sunagakure and the Yonbi of Iwagakure. The Ichibi Jinchūriki and his sister are being restrained in the ANBU headquarters. We will negotiate with Sunagakure once we receive a letter from them. This can help us strengthen Konoha while making our enemies weaker," Danzō said. "I will say one thing. These weapons were allowed to create destruction within our village. There was no force within our current capabilities that would have stopped both beasts. I suggest we train our Jinchūriki to avoid these future threats."

The heart stopped beating. Now was the time to say something.

"Hold it!" Kotero blurted out standing up, causing everyone to direct their attention to him. He could feel their narrowed eyes on him, but he didn't care anymore. "What do you mean by 'train'?" he asked.

Danzō remained unfazed from the interruption. "What else do you think it means? Train the boy so he could be a useful force for Konoha," he said.

"But Naruto is already a ninja of the village. He is clearly above a Chūnin level ninja. Why do we need to train him to use his Jinchūriki power when Naruto's own power could hold its own?" Kotero asked.

"You say those words, but did you not see the boy use the power of the Kyūbi in the first round? He is ready to be trained to be the weapon he was born to be," Danzō said.

Kotero snarled, his eyes were filled with rage. His Naruto, his little brother will be just a weapon? Merely seen as an object? The calmness he once had has vanished completely.

"How dare you say such things! You should keep the wishes of the Sandaime and the Yondaime Hokage alive by allowing Naruto to become a hero of the village! Not a weapon!" Kotero shouted. "It's bad enough that this damn village ignored and neglected him for nearly all his life, but now this!? Come on!"

"Calm down you fool!" Shikaku said while yanking Kotero's arm. "Don't fall into his game, he is trying to get you mad. He knows about your short fuse."

Kotero started to breathe in and out, he could feel his heart slowing down already. He looked to Danzō again and saw that he was the same as before.

"I will say the things necessary to keep this village alive," Danzō said. "We can't allow our enemies get the upper hand on us."

Kotero sat back down and covered his face with his hands. He lost his composure too quickly, and showed his anger, his weakness to the faces of the village. Kotero knew he just added more fuel to the upcoming fire. He looked around and saw the sympathizing eyes of Inuzuka Tsume, he threw her a fake smile and looked on ahead once again.

"One thing is clear, is that Iwa essentially won this fight," Danzō said with a surprising hint of annoyance. "But we can turn things around."

"What do you mean?" Hyūga Hiashi asked from the crowds.

"We have the Sandaime Tsuchikage's granddaughter. She is currently in a jail cell in ANBU headquarters. Unlike with Sunagakure, we can't use her in the same way. They have a hostage of their own. Uchiha Sasuke," he said.

The majority gasped from the news. The chattering had begun between many, filling the auditorium with the mish mash of many voices.

Homura stood up from his seat and stood beside Danzō. "We will trade hostages. The granddaughter and her squad for Uchiha Sasuke. Since Hiruzen has left us and could not declare a decision in the Hokage's name, we did a vote. It was decided with two votes yes to go ahead and do the trade," he said. "We will form an experienced and strong team to do the exchange. We have already exchanged letters and decided on a location. Kannabi bridge in the Land of Tall Grass. With this, we can make a peace treaty and recover from the attacks."

Kotero saw Kakashi flinch when the name of the location was called out. He wondered what could have possibly happened to him and that bridge. All Kotero knew that it was destroyed during the Third Great Shinobi World War. It was later rebuilt, and it was finished five years after the end of the war. A large bridge that connects the Land of Tall Grass to the Land of Earth.

The talks went on and on afterwards. Eating into the day. The civilians who owned businesses that contributed to the markets were infuriated with what happened since they cannot create any money. The blacksmith, the tailor, the builders and many more told their dissatisfactions with the recent attacks. Their workshops and materials were either heavily damaged or destroyed altogether.

There was one theme in nearly every complaint that made some of the ninja worried.

"It's his fault for all this!" an angry shopkeeper said in the far stands. "One of them said it to me as well. 'The one you should blame is Uzumaki Kotero. If he didn't do what he did two years ago, we wouldn't be here now.' My whole business is ruined because of him!" she shouted.

Kotero slouched in his seat after he heard it yet again. It must have been over the tenth time that his name had popped up, and it was always associated with the destruction of either their house or business. He didn't know what to feel. There was so much hate behind their eyes, their words.

Kotero felt his right knee get patted softly. He looked at the hand, and then to the owner. Shikaku was giving him a wry smile but his eyes were sad. He then took his hand away and crossed his arms.

"Those Iwa ninja were smart," Shikaku said. "They're inciting unrest within Konoha. Using you and the events two years ago to shield them from their own actions. It's sad, our own people are blaming you for this rather than Iwagakure themselves."

Kotero felt like crying in the corner at that moment. The shit really and truly had hit the fan. He tried his best to get on the good side of the people in the last three years. All of this so he and Naruto could live a happy and peaceful life. But now it was disintegrating right in front of his eyes.

"What can I do to stop this?" Kotero asked, his voice was quiet. "I want this to stop. I'm being used as a scapegoat."

Shikaku could see that Kotero was having enough of this. This isn't how he is supposed to be. Having so much hate poured on top of him at once with such fierceness could break any one down.

Kotero felt the seat beside him to his left became empty. He looked and saw Asuma standing up, his hand going into a clenched fist and then opening quickly. He could sense his aura, Asuma was mad.

"If I can say a word," Asuma said loudly, gathering the attention of the room. "The mission two years ago, the mission that Kotero went on. How can you all say he's the blame for everything when most don't know what even happened?" he asked.

There were murmurs amongst the crowds. Mission record details never went out to the public. It never had to.

Asuma grunted. "Uzumaki Kotero was ordered by the Hokage to go the Land of Stone to renew a trade agreement. He and his team were ambushed by Kitsuchi and his squad, otherwise known as Iwa shinobi. He made his team return and he fought them all by himself. It's a miracle that he even survived it. None of this is his fault," he said heatedly. "He made Konoha stronger, in her military and economy. Saying he's at fault for this is… hypocritical."

There were grumbles still among the crowds. Kotero looked over the seas of people and still saw some were glaring at him. Asuma's speech only helped so much.

"Do you not find it suspicious?" the voice of Danzō asked. "His actions, everything he's done so far."

"What!? What do you mean?" Asuma asked.

"Please, you call yourself Hiruzen's child, yet you never suspected the actions of others who come to your life? From the very start, Uzumaki Kotero has been building close relations with the clan heads and the Hokage of Konoha. Why would he do this?" Danzō asked. "It could be the simple reason of he wanted to have a good relationship with the influential members of Konoha. Or he could be up to something else. Maybe to usurp the government system in this village for an outside organisation."

"Danzō, what are you trying to suggest?" Koharu said. "I had my doubts about the young man but those are now washed away. No spy or plant would go on and do so much for a village they are not loyal to. Especially considering his circumstances."

"Don't let old age cloud your judgement. The world we live in is a ruthless one," Danzō further lamented.

"And don't let your views get the better of you. We've had the blood works done. Uzumaki Kotero is related to Uzumaki Kushina and Mito. There is no denying it whatsoever. The Uzumaki clan has helped Konoha in the past where we could have perished. It is only right to do the same," Koharu said.

"It doesn't mean we can't question the suspicious history of one of our ninja. Nearly three years ago, Uzumaki Kotero came into the Konoha ranks by becoming a Chūnin. He had his mind entered by Yamanaka Inoichi and was interrogated by Morino Ibiki. I have the report right here," Danzō said.

Homura was stunned. "Why would you bring such a thing to this meeting Danzō?" he asked. "Are you trying to tarnish him?"

Danzō shook his head. "I never planned for that. Instinct allowed me to predict what would happen in this meeting. It seemed that my intuition was correct after all," he said. "Uzumaki Kotero, I have questions to ask you."

Kotero felt his stomach twist. What more could be in store for him? He breathed deeply and stood up from his seat. He could see in some of the Ninja's eyes, those who he forged close relations to were in a terrible mood from the onslaught of comments about him. It made him feel a little bit better to know that not everyone was against him.

Kotero looked straight at Danzō with newly focused eyes. "Ask away," he said.

Danzō exhaled heavily through his nose before he spoke his first word. "From the mind-walk report by Yamanaka Inoichi, he had written down a location from one of your memories. All he had was that it was a populated and tourist town. Tell us where you were," he demanded.

Kotero could feel the coldness of Danzō's words. He never understood why he hated him, and everyone else for that matter. However, he didn't want any more reasons to add to it. "Kusatsu Onsen. It was a famous hot spring town in the north west part of the Land of Fire," Kotero said.

"Why were you doing in the Himeji region of the Land of Fire when you said that you mainly stayed on the eastern coast of the country?" Danzō asked. "A contradiction?"

Kotero scratched the back of his head. He was getting anxious. This was his past, he wanted to leave it alone.

"A contradiction? Not at all, Kaa-chan was beginning to get ill. She seemed strong at first, but she got weaker as time went on. We decided to go towards the mountain ranges to find some medicinal herbs to heal her illness. We stayed there for a few months," Kotero said with a struggle.

"Danzō, I don't understand why you're badgering him for this kind of information," Homura said. "We should focus on Konoha, not a ninja's life story."

Danzō ignored Homura. "However, the town was burnt to ashes prior to your entry of becoming a ninja here in Konoha. What happened? It could be reasonable to suggest that someone played some part in that town's demise. Could you have done something?"

Kotero grunted. "There was no reason to do so. It was from natural causes. The town was built on the bottom of a mountain. There was a surprise landslide, and an electric generator was destroyed, and it ignited the town on fire," he said.

Silence rung through the auditorium. Kotero could see the doubt in people's eyes. They don't believe him. He looked to the very back and his eyes widened. He saw Jiraiya with crossed arms leaning against the wall. It seemed he wasn't in the best of moods as well. His eyes eventually turned back to Danzō.

' _This guy!? What is he trying to do? Why is he trying to divide the people already? Konoha needs everyone to cooperate, not to dig up my past you bastard,_ ' Kotero thought with gritted teeth. The memories he shared with only a bare few were now resurfacing for everyone to hear. Negativity came and swung at him at full force.

From his seat, Shikaku could see Kotero visibly shaking. It wasn't from fear, but guilt.

"So, you did nothing to protect the town," Danzō said.

Kotero shook his head slowly. "No… I couldn't," he said weakly. "Kumi, the others. They're all dead and I couldn't have done a thing."

Having enough of this, Shikaku stood up and forced Kotero to sit back into his seat. He then looked down to the Hokage's advisors with focused eyes. He appeared to be as calm as ever, but inside, he has never been angrier. Doing this to someone he considered family, the closest thing to a nephew, even he had his limits.

Kotero slouched in his chair and looked down to the ground. Depression overcame him in an instant. "I really am a nuisance… aren't I?" he muttered under his breath.

Shikaku inhaled deeply through his nose. He has a few words he needs to say but he has to say them calmly. Shouting will not help him, Kotero or anyone else.

"This has nothing to do with Konoha," Shikaku said. "Konoha doesn't need this. Konoha needs all of her ninja to perform to their highest standards. Danzō, I don't know what you're playing at. But, the late Hokage-sama placed his faith in Kotero and it paid off.

If he had any ill-will, Kotero would never have become a ninja of our village. I trust his judgement far above yours. We're allowed to have our opinions but bring clear proof that someone is conspiring against Konoha."

Tsume also stood up, it was clear she had enough. Her fangs were showing. "There's certain things that the Inuzuka clan respects above all else. Honesty, pride and love. Kotero, and other Uzumaki, have shown all three from the moment we've met them. You three should be careful before you insult someone we respect. Because if you disrespect him, you disrespect us," she barked out.

Koharu stood up from her seat. "Alright, this has gone for far too long. Tsume, speak calmly during these sessions. Danzō, that was too far. We should have stopped you from the beginning," she said. "It is already evening, and past the ending time. This meeting is finished and will resume in two days. It'll begin at the same time. Thank you all for attending."

The sound of the people leaving was heard loudly. The way to the stairs was jampacked with both civilian and ninja. It didn't take long for the auditorium to become empty. Very few stayed behind.

Kotero looked up and saw Shikaku rubbing his face with his hands. To his left, Asuma and Kakashi were reflecting the whole meeting. It ran from late morning to evening. There was a lot to process but the meeting certainly ended with a bang. Tsume was also there, Chōza and Inoichi were coming to where they were.

Kotero looked back down to the stone table and saw that Homura, Koharu and Danzō all disappeared.

There was four things he wanted to do at that moment. First was to get fresh air, second to punch Danzō right in the face, third was to drink some sake and the last he couldn't do even if he ran all the way to the Capital just to try to do it. Kotero decided to stay in his seat and listen to the clan heads talk amongst themselves.

It was only the four. Chōza, Inoichi, Shikaku and Tsume. The four clans he had developed solid relationships with.

"What the fuck was that about?" Tsume asked. "Everything was going well until those people started to complain and that half-blind guy ruined the meeting."

Shikaku nodded. "It certainly seemed something was going on. It's obvious that Iwa was trying to incite unrest in Konoha. But could Danzō be doing the same?" he asked.

Inoichi shrugged his shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine. The man is an enigma. I don't talk to him but the last time I actually talked to him was when Fū was taken into his ROOT program. That was many years ago. That man has a grand plan for Konoha. And it seems that he wants Naruto to become a Jinchūriki like the others and Kotero out of the picture," he said.

Chōza sighed as his large belly rumbled. "This doesn't sound good at all," he said. "Like the sound of a diet."

Shikaku grunted. "This really isn't the time to make jokes Chōza. Like you said, Danzō is a man who keeps in the shadows. Kotero has told me that the first time he met him was when he and Hiruzen were talking in the Hokage's office. They were arguing over the position over who will be the next Hokage," he said.

"Really?" Tsume said. "Interesting… That man, I don't know what I would do if he became the Hokage. He put his name forward when Hokage-sama retired after the war but lost to Minato, he wasn't even considered from what I remembered."

"Yes, you're right Tsume," Inoichi said. "Even Uchiha Fugaku fared better than he did. If things go as tradition, he will need both the Fire Daimyō's blessing and a majority vote from the Jōnin."

"Hopefully Jiraiya-sama will be the candidate," Chōza said. "I know he would be a much better fit than any other."

Shikaku groaned. "I have my doubts. He is a man of adventures. It'll be hard to keep him in one place. But he's a better choice than none. Kakashi could even be up for consideration," he said.

Hearing this, Kakashi got out from his stupor and went up to the clan heads. "What? Me, becoming the Hokage? If that's the case, then surely Asuma or Kotero would be up for consideration as well," he said.

Shikaku shook his head. "No. You are the most suited for the position from all the Jōnin. The fact is that there is a law that says a ninja has to reside in Konoha for ten years or more and as well hold the rank of Jōnin for more than five years to ever be considered the position of Hokage. Kotero may have the strength and diplomatic skills already but the Nidaime Hokage wrote those laws years ago. We cannot break them," he said. "He can't be a candidate."

"Damn," Kakashi said. "I don't want to become Hokage. I'm not worthy of that position."

"You would be better suited for it compared to me," the voice of Jiraiya said as he descended from the stairs, joining the group. "My spy network cannot function without me. There is one more choice, but she'll be a longshot."

"Jiraiya-sama," Inoichi greeted. "We were just talking about you," he said.

Jiraiya nodded. "Ah, I know and heard. Like I said, I cannot become the Hokage. I'm not suited for the position. But there is someone else in mind," he said.

The clan heads and others stopped talking once they saw Kotero stand up from his seat and leave towards the exit.

"Kotero, are you alright?" Asuma asked with obvious worry. He knew it himself that Kotero's emotions must be churned up into a big mess.

Kotero looked back with an obviously fake smile. "Yeah… Just going to get some fresh air. Thanks, you guys," he said. He then walked ahead and left them alone.

"Kotero…" Kakashi said. He was worried himself. "I've never seen him so… depressed."

Shikaku sighed heavily. "This isn't the first time. He's always hid his weak side, just like you did Kakashi after you father died. He has his own monsters to fight, like the rest of us," he said.

"Should we not help him?" Asuma asked. "With Tou-san's death, those memories and what happened in the meeting, he needs our help."

Shikaku shook his head. "Amazing that you say that since it was your father's death. No. He needs some time alone. However, I do want you two to check up on him before Naruto finds him like that or worse. Both of those brothers rely on each other more than I will ever know. If one goes down, the other will fall shortly after. Maybe it's an Uzumaki trait after all?" he said. "Give him some time and make sure he gets home. You two are his dear friends."

Asuma and Kakashi nodded and turned for the exit. They left the clan heads and Jiraiya alone.

"So Jiraiya-sama," Tsume said, "who's this other Hokage candidate that you have hidden from us?"

* * *

 **Uzumaki Residence**

"Where is he?" Naruto wondered as he walked through his home. "He should be home by now. It's getting really late."

Naruto returned home after spending the whole day with Shikamaru in the Nara compound. He only left once Shikaku returned to the house. Now, he is at his own home trying to find his big brother, but he is nowhere to be seen.

Naruto went to Kotero's bedroom and opened the door. There was no one inside. Completely empty.

Not only did not help him, but it only made Naruto more worried. He quickly went down the stairs and then continued down to the basement of the house. It was too small to do anything practical, so it was used for storage.

Naruto opened the door and looked around. The only things they store down here is dry ingredients for cooking, ingredients for poisons or medicine and finally sake. And lots of it.

Naruto's eyes hovered over where the alcoholic beverage should be and sees that there is a small crate missing. He was only down here yesterday to get some items for a remedy since he caught himself in a large bunch of stinging nettles. He knew that some of the sake has been taken.

"No… Not this again," Naruto stuttered.

Not wasting any time, Naruto ran up the stairs and sprinted out of the door. He didn't know where to look first. This wasn't the first time sometime like this happened before.

Only once ever. The first was when Kotero had nearly stayed in Konoha. It was the anniversary of the death of Naruto's Aunt. He couldn't hold in his feelings and broke down. He was found in the front of the Uzumaki residence crying in a drunken state. Naruto had to nurse him back to normal.

It was heart-breaking for Naruto. To see someone, you look up to so much fall down to such a low. A troubling experience. One that neither should be going through.

Naruto had no clue where to start, but he had to find him, to save him. That was all that mattered now. One of his loved ones was in trouble and he needed to fix it.

Naruto wished he could just turn a corner and just find him. But, there was no luck. Every time he looked left or right, it was just empty streets. He ran and ran, then he jumped to the roof tops, so he could see more of the village.

Thinking of his brother brought back key words from their past.

 _Sensing chakra can help predict attacks, know the next position, the emotional state of the enemy. Since chakra is intertwined with our body and spirit, people who can 'sense' chakra can tell a lot about others just by their chakra. Naruto, sensing is on a whole other level._

"Nii-chan isn't my enemy, but I know he's sad. Depressed even. I have to help him. If I can sense his chakra, his sadness, maybe I'll find out where his location is," Naruto said. "Seems like a longshot, this sensing business is harder than it looks."

Naruto calmed down his chakra and formed the Ram hand seal to focus on his sensing. He didn't have much skill in it yet, but he was sure to master it soon.

Naruto relaxed his chakra, he tried to feel out any heavy, sad chakra. A main lesson he learnt was that your emotions and chakra were intertwined. If he could feel it, he was sure to find Kotero.

Naruto was standing there for minutes, holding his position, trying his best to search him out. Suddenly, a shock like feeling ran down his spine. He looked around for the source of it, but all he saw was the faces of Hokage Mountain.

"He's around there, huh?" Naruto said. "That is where the meeting was held… Why did you go back there Nii-chan?"

Naruto dashed across the rooftops towards the Hokage mountain. It was harder than usual since there were many buildings destroyed, and some with holes in the roofs.

Eventually, Naruto made it to the base of Hokage mountain. He looked to the foot of the mountain and saw a large metal double door that was recently installed. He walked up to it to inspect it closer.

Once Naruto had reached the metal doors, it was obvious that it was locked. Naruto looked all over the metal doors that had a large Konoha symbol on it, but the doors had no key hole. He then tried to push the door open. However, it wouldn't budge on inch.

Naruto stepped back and sighed. "Jeez, you aren't making this easy Nii-chan. You just have to hide in the weird spots," he said.

Naruto looked up to the sky and saw that night had come and already taken over the sky. The stars blotting the dark canvas painted a magical picture. He saw the moon, it was in its waning crescent stage. It was eerie as much as it was beautiful.

Naruto's eyes caught sight of the jawlines of the Hokage's. There was a figure on top of the Yondaime's fringe of hair. Naruto's eyes widened.

"It must be him!" Naruto said with joy. "Finally, we can go home and be ok again."

Less than a minute passed, and Naruto was already standing on top of the head of the Sandaime Hokage. He looks to the Yondaime's head and sees Kotero slouching on the fringe with bottles balancing beside him.

Naruto jumped to the Yondaime's head, he stalked over to the sluggish body of Kotero and hit him with light taps with his foot.

"Wha the!? Kotero grumbled with a slur. "Who that?"

Naruto waved his hand in front of his nose. "Jeez, Nii-chan. You smell really bad. You reek of alcohol," he said. "Come on, you have to go to bed."

Kotero slumped up and his eyes looked at Naruto. "Huh? Naruto… What the hell are you doing here?" Kotero then stood up with a burp before jumping away from the cliff face, landing on the ground behind the heads.

Naruto sighed and followed after him. He watched as Kotero walked around the top of Hokage mountain with an angry expression. A drunk and angry Kotero was not something he wanted to deal with ever.

"Nii-chan, come on and let's go home. You don't want to embarrass yourself," Naruto said.

Kotero threw his bottle into the ground with force. The bottle smashed into many miniscule pieces. He then started to breathe heavily.

"Embarrass myself? What difference would it make?" Kotero asked, his words have lost their slur, but he was still clearly intoxicated.

Naruto was shocked about that fact the most. It was a fact that any who carried Uzumaki genes had a high tolerance for the alcoholic beverages. To be in this state must have meant he drank way too much for a normal person. Naruto was wondering what could have possibly made him go into this state.

"Nii-chan, what happened to you ttebayo?" he asked. "You're not supposed to be like this."

"Then what am I supposed to be then!?" Kotero shouted. "A lap-dog? A scapegoat?"

Naruto flinched from the loud bark. The only solace was that Kotero wasn't directly facing him. He knew that meant that he wasn't the source of the deep built-up rage.

"What happened in the meeting today Kotero-nii?" Naruto asked. "You can tell me anything."

Kotero clenched his fist and then smashed his foot into the ground, causing spider-web cracks to appear. He then exhaled heavily and slumped his shoulders.

"That meeting yeah?" Kotero said with a wry grin. "That fucking meeting was just a shitstorm. Everything was my fault. Your house got destroyed. Oopsies that was my fault. What? Your family heirloom was smashed to pieces. Yes, blame me, Uzumaki Kotero. Excuse me? Your family member was killed by an Earth ninjutsu. That must mean it's my fault, even though I can't even use basic Earth Ninjutsu or whatever, but it's my fault of course!"

Naruto stepped back once he saw Kotero walk up and down in paces. He was constantly flexing his fingers, a tell-tale sign of too much emotion in one's body. Especially in Kotero's case.

Naruto took a deep breath before uttering a word. He was not afraid of what his brother would do to him. He knew Kotero would never purposely hurt, even when his is in this horrid state. It was the others, the ninja and civilians of Konoha. It was no rumour that Kotero was a juggernaut, that much was fact. It wouldn't take much to set him off, like a bull on the verge of a rampage.

The best solution would be to calm him down with his words, only his words would work. Naruto would have to choose his words carefully. If it fails, the back-up plan would be to try to incapacitate him to an unconscious state, which seemed harder than finding the answer to the purpose of life.

"What else happened?" Naruto asked calmly.

Kotero rubbed his face ruggedly and then flicked his hands. "What didn't happen is a better question. The villagers are just two-faced assholes. I spend my money I earn on missions in their shops, their stalls and produce. A cut of the money I earn goes to their protection. And they still treat us like shit Naruto! And don't even get me started on Danzō," he said with bite.

"Danzō?" Naruto said. "You mean that bandaged guy with the cane."

Kotero pointed his finger at Naruto. "Yes, the very same guy! I don't know how he found out, but he mentioned what happened before I came here. He mentioned that village. All those memories came back to me. All those memories I just want to forget. God! I want to beat the living shit out of that man now!" he shouted.

Naruto stepped forward and then put out his hand. "Nii-chan, you're drunk. Come on and let's go home, so you can go to bed," he said. His voice was soothing, trying its best to be encouraging.

Kotero shoulders slumped even more. His eyes focused onto Naruto. His loudness disappeared for a sudden coldness.

"Hey Naruto," Kotero said. "Do you want to leave here?" he asked, "We could find a new place to live. Just me and you," he said. "Fly away and be free. Like those eagles in the skies."

Naruto flinched again. "What? But, what about our dreams? I want to be the Hokage," he said.

Kotero tried his best to stand up straight but it was a mundane effort. He stumbled before he could stand properly.

"Naruto, your deepest desire was to be acknowledged, right?" Kotero said. "Becoming Hokage will not make everyone acknowledge you. You have to be acknowledged to be Hokage.

But, don't you see that with this village, their grudges, it's nearly impossible for you to get that hat. I want to believe it so much! You would be the best Hokage, but they won't let you become it!

They hate me, they hate you! They hate us! How can you ever get that hat!?" Kotero asked with a shout, letting his tears run down his face.

Naruto started to tear up as well. "Nii-chan. What about The Nara, Akimichi, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Anko," he said. "Do they mean nothing to you?"

Kotero grunted loudly. "I'm only thinking of our future here. What good is there staying here? Tell me why we should stay here when everyone single person hates your and my guts!?"

 **BANG! CRACK!**

Naruto watched as two figures flashed past him with incredible speeds. The darkness didn't help but he recognised one of them. The moonlight reflected off his silver hair.

Naruto focused on the tall figure that punched Kotero. It was Asuma. Kotero stumbled back and fell to the ground. "Naruto… Kaa-chan," he murmured under his breath. "Please don't leave me."

Naruto's heart stopped once the words were heard. He fell to his knees and watched his older brother yawn and then begin to fall asleep. Kotero pinched his nose and then felt the stinging pain, some blood leaked from his nostril. Naruto than watched his brother close his eyes and then not move a muscle.

Asuma looked at his hand and then to the ground where Kotero laid. "What is he made out of? I broke his nose, but my index finger is broken as well," Asuma said. He started to shake his hand to ease the pain. "Stupid Uzumaki and their strong bones."

Kakashi sighed and turned around to see Naruto wide-eyed. Kakashi walked over to his student and knelt to him. "Don't worry," he said. "You don't have to see this anymore."

Naruto didn't say a word but instead watched Asuma pick his sleeping drunk brother up and place him on his shoulders. Asuma's turned around and looked down to Naruto.

"This isn't your brother," Asuma said. "Once he sobers up, and reflects on what happened today, he'll know what he did wrong."

"You don't hate him, do you Naruto? The meeting today messed him up and the drink made it worse. He drunk way too much," Kakashi said. "He always did and still will believe in you, he was letting everything get to him and not thinking straight. Not thinking of what you wanted or needed."

Naruto stood back up and dusted off his knees. He tried to keep calm, but it just wasn't happening. Kakashi stood back up himself and stepped back, he has never seen such a nasty facial expression on Naruto's face. Not even during his ANBU patrol days when he kept watch on him, or anytime they were together for Team Seven. He was always cheerful, this was the polar opposite.

"Hate Nii-chan? He said some stuff that really hurt, but I will never hate him. This Danzō guy, he talk about Nii-chan's past. He was in so much pain before he came here. I will never forgive him!" Naruto declared. His eyes were stone cold.

Kakashi placed his hands on top of Naruto's shoulders and made the boy look into his eye. "Calm down Naruto. That's good to hear, but it would be best not to focus your anger on him. It would be best if you nursed your Nii-chan back to normal. You're the only one who can do it," he said. "The deep wounds that were in his heart were reopened. You will need to stitch them back together."

Naruto pursed his lips and clenched his fists. Water welled up under his eyes again. "Why did Nii-chan go like this!? He's not supposed to be like this. What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do?" he asked desperately. "Please tell me Sensei!"

Asuma came close to the two with Kotero on his shoulder. "You're going have to talk about it. Talk about it all. He barely talks about it to me, or to Kakashi or Anko. Naruto, you are the only one who can delve into his demons," Asuma said. "Kakashi, let's bring them home now."

Kakashi nodded. He spun on the spot and picked up Naruto and placed him on his back, giving him a piggy-back ride. The two Jōnin then transported the two Uzumaki back to their home.

The trip was silent. There was nothing to talk about. He didn't know if his perception of time changed, but it didn't take long for Naruto to see the front of his house.

Asuma opened the door to the home. His chakra could be used to open the house since he was exceptionally good friend. He didn't waste any time and went up the stairs.

Kakashi dropped Naruto onto the couch in the living room. Kakashi then sat in one of the bachelor chairs, and then looked to Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, is it true that most of the village hates us? Hates me?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi sighed, he didn't know what to do. He closed his eye and nodded slowly. "Yes… Most of the village hates both you and your brother," he said.

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Just because of the Kyūbi?"

Kakashi nodded. "A lot of people lost homes and family that day. Grudges can last a lifetime. Naruto, you are not to blame for what happened nearly thirteen years ago. Neither is Kotero. However, people can be idiots. They want to unload their anger and hate on something. After the attack, all the hate focused on you and the Uchiha clan."

"Sasuke's clan… Why would they hate them?" Naruto asked further. "The police force helped keep the crime low."

"And the people hated the police. But many believed that the clan used the Kyūbi to attack the village to usurp the Hokage. I will tell you this more later Naruto, I promise. But, when the Uchiha clan perished, all that hate then focused onto you. You were made into an outcast. The sore thumb of Konoha," Kakashi said.

"What does that have to do with Nii-chan?"

Kakashi looked at his fingers. He then sighed heavily again. "When Kotero showed you love, acceptance and kindness. He accepted you for what you really are. But the hate was still there.

When they found out that someone was related to you, loved you and treated you as a human being. Some began to detest him. Then it grew and grew. The attack from Iwa, it gave the people a more legitimate reason to hate your brother. Another reason to unload their hate. Is it unjustified? Yes, it is. But we live in a world where things change in a moment's notice," he said.

Naruto ran his hands through his hair. He then rested his hands on the armrest of the cushioned couch. "I want to change it all," he declared.

Kakashi focused on Naruto. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Naruto wryly smiled. "This hate in the village. I want to get rid of it. I will prove to the village that I'm no monster. I'll show them that I'm worthy to be the Hokage. I want to protect my friends, my Nii-chan. I don't care how long it takes, I will change it," he said.

Kakashi felt goose bumps crawl up his arms. The image of Naruto changed slightly in his eyes and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Sensei…"

"Kakashi-sensei? Are you ok?" Naruto asked. "I couldn't hear you."

Kakashi shook his head slowly and smiled under his mask. "I'm fine," he said before standing up.

Asuma came down the stairs and dusted his hands. "He's in his room sleeping like a baby. Naruto, you will take care of him for us, right?" he asked.

Naruto stood up from his seat to look at Asuma. "Yeah, I will. I really… can't thank you enough," he said.

Asuma waved Naruto off. "We do these things for those we consider precious. Our family. Naruto, don't worry, Kakashi and I will have your backs. Us and many more will walk with you and your brother no matter what," he said. "You really helped out with Shikamaru and Chōji. You also helped out with Sasuke and Sakura. Kotero, he's helped us two and the other Jōnin in more ways than one. We owe you two. Don't forget it."

Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair as he walked towards the door. "My past families are gone. Blood and team. But now, I have a new one. And you're a part of that family Naruto. I will always be there for you. Just don't expect me to be on time," he said with an eye-smile.

The two Jōnin left through the front door. Naruto waved them off as he rested on the door frame. He then lightly laughed to himself as he thought of the next morning. "I better prepare, it's going to be a very long talk I'll be having with him."

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

 **Uzumaki Residence**

It was ten in the morning and the birds were singing. It was a glorious day; the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud speck found in the sky. The flowers danced with the breeze and the trees stood gracefully as their crowns shook gently.

Naruto was outside enjoying the weather. In front of him was two cups of tea. One black and one green. Naruto drank his green tea and rested in the back. He was waiting for someone to show their face. He heard the shower stop not too long ago, so his wait shouldn't be long.

The glass door to the back of the house slid open. A man with deep dark bags under his eyes walked outside with his hands digging into his pockets.

Naruto watched as his brothers come to him with a face that had guilt and worry written all over it. It was a nice change to see his brother in his regular comfort clothes. A simple grey t-shirt and green three quarter lengths. He didn't bother to wear any sandals, he was bare-foot.

Naruto grabbed the mug filled with black tea and lifted it to Kotero. Kotero stopped once he saw the action. He then slowly took out his hands and grabbed the mug.

After one sip, Kotero sighed a breath of comfort. He looked to the nature around them, it relaxed him. He then looked back towards the house and saw the large array of exotic plants.

"Your garden is looking nice," Kotero said.

Naruto nodded. "I know," he said coldly. He couldn't be easy on his big brother now, he had to make sure that Kotero knew he made a mistake.

Kotero bit his lip. He didn't like the cold Naruto, he wanted his warm Naruto. He went down to the ground and sat. He then drank more of his tea.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Naruto asked. "Anything you said?"

Kotero nodded with a slight groan, honestly, Kotero didn't want to remember anything from last night. "Only bits and pieces. When I woke up, I wondered how I got back to the house. But then I saw my nose in the mirror. It was a bit of a shocker. Then more of it came when I had my shower," he said.

Naruto nodded and drank some of his tea. The herbal taste was very soothing. "Is there anything you want to get off your chest ttebayo?" he asked.

Kotero placed his mug on the ground. He then clicked his fingers with anxiousness. "I was just… Actually, there's no excuse. I should have never said that stuff. I let my anger get the better of me Naruto. I'm supposed to be your Nii-chan, but then I act like that and make you worry over me. I'm a terrible Nii-chan," he said.

Naruto rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head, looking at his brother with focused eyes. "You don't want my forgiveness?" he asked.

Kotero shook his head no. "I don't deserve it. I have to make it up for you. Like I said, I had let my anger get the better of me. I was selfish and didn't think of anyone else apart from myself. I tried to convince you to leave the village… I still can't believe I said those words," he admitted. "I'm pathetic."

 **SLAP!**

Kotero felt his whole cheek sting in pain. He looked back and saw that Naruto was staring down at him.

"You're an idiot but not pathetic," Naruto said. "You've done enough, you can't shoulder everything by yourself. Why didn't you talk to me? Why would you let this bottle up in you?" he asked. "I thought we were brothers."

Kotero's eyes widened, he then grabbed Naruto's shoulders with desperateness. "We are! I wanted to talk to you for so long, but the Chūnin exams were on. I knew if I talked to you, you would worry about me rather than the exams and the final fights. I didn't want you to hate me if you lost one of your fights," he said. "That would be the worst thing in the world."

"I… didn't know you were suffering," Naruto said quietly, his fists were shaking. "I'm your little brother, I'm supposed to know when you're in pain. I'm just as bad."

Kotero shook his head. "No, not at all. You're great as always, my sweet little brother. I kept a strong face whenever you were around. I didn't want you to worry about me one bit. This past two months were so stressful for the both of us. We needed each other but we didn't want to burden each other either. Ironic, isn't it?" he said.

Naruto nodded with a small smile. "It is. But I'm just wondering."

"Wondering about what?" Kotero asked.

"If that village never came up in that meeting. If those memories didn't come back to haunt you. Would you be like this?" Naruto asked. "Or would you have just bottled up what happened with the other villagers?"

Kotero looked up to the sky and thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. I probably would have complained about it to you or Shikaku. It was just that with Jiji's death, that meeting and Danzō bringing up that… time really messed me up in the head, ya know?" he said. "I don't ever want to go through something like that again."

Naruto laughed and then ruffled Kotero's hair, confusing the latter. He waited until Naruto actually spoke, so he could understand the reason for the laugh.

"Say, people say that the only way to move on from the past is to talk about it," Naruto said. "You and I are going to spend all day if we have to just talking about that village, that girl Kumi you were like really good friends with and Aunt Aiko," Naruto said.

Kotero shrunk when he heard the words. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Naruto shook his head and wagged his finger. "I don't care. I'm sick of you acting all mopey Nii-chan. If we don't talk about this, then I will never forgive you," he declared.

Kotero shook his head in defeat. "Jeez, you really are blackmailing me now," he said. "Fine, we'll talk."

Naruto smirked in victory, before being wrapped up in a tight hug. "Naruto, never change, ok?" he heard Kotero say.

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, don't worry. The more I change, the more I will stay the same. Don't worry Nii-chan, you and I, we'll always be together."

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	25. Chapter 25 - The Exchange Program

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **(A/N) This Chapter marks the one year anniversary of this story. Which is unbelievable to me really. I wouldn't have been surprised if I dropped after the first month, a whole year now of uploading blows my mind. Thanks to everyone who has supported the story so far and I hope the same and more will happen in this coming year. Now, I hope you will enjoy the chapter.**

 **Chapter 25 – The Exchange Program**

 **New Konoha Grand Council Auditorium**

 **Hokage Mountain Heart Chambers**

The room was silent. The end of the meeting was at hand. It was a good thing as well, there were some eager souls that wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"So, let us repeat the missions that will go ahead today," Homura said. "The first will be taken by Jiraiya, and he will be finding the next Hokage candidate. The second is a mission for the exchange of hostages on Kannabi bridge. Jiraiya, you will have an ANBU team help you."

Jiraiya, who was sitting in the front laughed. "I don't need them. They would only annoy me, I have someone else in mind who will make the trip more worthwhile," he said.

"Who do you want then to accompany you?" Koharu said.

Jiraiya leaned forward in his chair and smiled. "I want Uzumaki Naruto to come with me," he said. "No one else will do."

In a further row of seats, Kotero could hear the grumbling of many once the name was mentioned. He shook it off, usually he got angry, but now he was just sad.

His talk with Naruto that happened the day before helped his resolve to make the village love Naruto and him. All of this was for Naruto's dream, it was important to him, but he wouldn't mind a bit of the love for himself as well.

"That child?" Homura asked. "Wouldn't an ANBU team be better suited for tracking rather than a highly accomplished Genin?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "The tracking isn't a problem," he said. "And anyway, Naruto has something special that will solve my problems. He's the only one I want."

Kotero smiled as he heard what Jiraiya said. It was true, the kid had a special talent for solving the strangest of problems. Only question Kotero had was what was the problem Jiraiya had.

Homura nodded and then looked down to his scroll. "The second mission is the hostage exchange on Kannabi bridge. We have chosen a team that are fit from the ninja roster. This will be a high priority mission, so we could only leave it to our best. The will consist of Shiranui Genma, Namiashi Raidō, Tatami Iwashi and Uzumaki Kotero," he said. "You will depart at Noon. You have two hours to prepare for your trip."

Kotero nodded at the advisors. "Good. I wanted to some fresh air anyway," he said.

There were grumbles throughout the auditorium. It seemed that the events from the last meeting left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. To Kotero, it looked like some of his fellow villagers didn't want him to go on this mission. They however didn't speak out, they knew they had no influence or power when it came to shinobi matters such as missions.

Koharu sighed. "Uzumaki Kotero. You will be handling the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and her squad. We shouldn't need to say this, but this exchange can bring us to peace with Iwa. That is most important here. Get Uchiha Sasuke back and get that peace treaty, we already exchanged letters. The peace treaty is on the table," she said.

"Understood," Kotero said with a wry smile. "Don't expect anything less than a perfect score."

Shikaku, who was sitting beside Kotero again, chuckled to himself. Only two days ago did Kotero start to internally break down, losing all confidence. Now he's oozing it out. Maybe things were finally back to normal? The thought was certainly running through his head.

The sound of scrolls and folders closing up were heard. "That concludes today's meeting. The next one will be when the new Hokage is put into power and we have an issue to discuss that involves everyone here," Homura said.

People left their seats and went for the door. Kotero noticed from the very start of the meeting that Danzō wasn't there. He wondered where the intolerable man could be.

There was a mass shuffling and pushing to the exit, the noise and chatter filled the large space. Kotero got out of his seat and cracked his back. He then felt a hand pat his shoulder. He looked and saw Kakashi. The worry was noticeable despite Kakashi's attempt to hide it. His heavy eye showed it all.

"Be careful," Kakashi warned.

"Huh?" Kotero questioned with a surprised face. "Be careful of what exactly?"

"Of that bridge. Just be careful that you don't get caught in any traps they might set up," Kakashi warned. "I would hate to lose another friend because of that place."

Kotero narrowed his eyes but then quickly laughed. "Come on, I thought you thought of me highly. We'll be fine," he reassured, wrapping his arm around Kakashi's shoulders. "You just keep the village safe. Maybe give Sakura a one-on-one lesson, I think she would appreciate it."

Kakashi groaned and looked up to the ceiling. "Sakura… I actually talked to her mother Mebuki about her. She hasn't left her house since the funeral. With the attack and Sasuke missing, she doesn't want to go outside," he said.

Kotero whistled loudly. "Wow… Just wow. Well, I think you'll need to drag her out even if she's kicking and screaming. Some fresh air and training would definitely clear up her mind," he said. "And if she becomes stronger, she would be a great asset to both Naruto and Sasuke. That's what Konoha is all about, supporting each other and working as a team."

"Kotero."

Kotero turned to his right and saw Jiraiya standing before him. "What? Kakashi and I were talking."

Jiraiya chuckled and scratched his cheek. "I saw that. Since I'm staying in the spare room of your house, and most of my stuff is on the floor… I mean in the room in a neat fashion. I would appreciate it if we went to your house to pack. You need to get ready yourself as well," he said.

Kotero groaned and nodded. This whole morning annoyed him, but he shouldn't let it out on those around him. "Damn, you're right," he said. "Alright, Kakashi, I'll keep that warning close to me. Don't get rusty while Naruto and I are gone."

Kakashi nodded his head. "Don't worry, I won't."

Kotero moved his way towards the exit of the Konoha auditorium. "Come on Jiraiya you slowpoke. Getting old? Maybe you should retire and live in the corner of a brothel for the rest of your miserable life," he said.

Jiraiya laughed loudly and then slapped the back of Kotero's head with some force. "Wow, the Uzumaki clan sure love to make fun out of anything," he said. "Kushina was the same."

Kotero lightly laughed while rubbing the back of his head. It was some slap Jiraiya gave him. "Fond memories? Oh look! There's Shikaku, Inoichi and Chōza. Let's join up with them."

"Wait!" Jiraiya said, making Kotero stop in his tracks. "Here have this."

Kotero was handed a slip of paper with intricate seal markings on it. It wasn't a seal he was familiar with, but the pattern did rock up in his memories.

"This looks like the markings that come out when Jiji used the **Summoning Jutsu** ," Kotero said. "What does this thing do?"

Jiraiya walked ahead with a chuckle. "You're just going have to wait and find out."

* * *

 **Yamanaka Flower shop**

"Ah, this is nice," the voice of Naruto said. "Good weather, peace in the village. Yummy breakfast in the belly, I couldn't ask for much better."

"The sky is clear. There's no clouds to stare at," Shikamaru said, lying down on the ground beside Naruto as they both looked up.

As they relaxed and breathed in the fresh air, both boys felt great tranquillity within themselves. However, like everything as of late, it wasn't going to last exceptionally long.

The sound of a packet of crisps opened close by, Naruto turned his head in an awkward way to see Chōji beginning to much down on the snack. Naruto knew the flavour, it was the classic of salt and vinegar.

"Oi Chōji, give me one," Naruto said. "I need to chew on something."

Chōji pulled back his crisp packet and guarded them with his whole body. He then glared at Naruto. "No," he said fiercely. "We are still low on food at home and I need to keep myself from getting hungry. I'm not giving you anything Naruto."

Naruto growled. "What!? You have like five packets with you. Come on, just give me one of them," he said. "I thought we were friends."

Chōji grabbed the bottom of the crisp packet and then shoved all the content into his mouth. He then munched hard and swallowed it all in one go. It was a disgusting sight.

"There," Chōji said with a huff. "Now there's no more for any of us."

Naruto sat up from the ground and growled. "Chōji, what the hell you bastard!? You just ate the whole thing!" he shouted.

Footsteps were heard coming close to the group of friends.

"You guys are really something else."

Naruto turned his head to see that Ino had come and joined them. He then slumped his shoulders and went back down to resting on the ground.

"I hope you mean that in a good way," Shikamaru said.

Ino shook her head and then stomped her foot. "No! I asked you guys to come and help me move stuff, so the flower shop can get repaired quicker. Shikamaru, you even said you would get Naruto to help out. But all you three have done is laze around and just watch the clouds," she complained. "I'm doing all the work here."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and went back to lying on the ground. "I never said I would help you guys. I had enough stuff to deal with yesterday, all I want is to relax," he said.

Ino walked over towards Naruto and stood directly above his head. She rested her hands on her hips and leaned down. "What was this stuff you had to deal with?" she asked. "You, the boy with unlimited energy taking a break is weird to see."

Naruto groaned. "It's none of your business. I'm tired, alright?"

Ino raised her hands in a surrender gesture and began to walk off. "Oops, sorry Naruto," she said sarcastically. "Just when you say stuff like that, you come off as mysterious."

Naruto sighed. "Mysterious huh? Is that a good or bad thing?" he asked himself. He then shook his head and stood up. "What time is it?" he asked the others.

The three other Genin shrugged their shoulders. They didn't know.

"It's just half past ten Naruto."

Naruto turned his heels and saw the scarred face of Shikaku walk up to him. Shikaku then ruffled Naruto's hair with a small smile on his face. "Why are you wondering?" he asked.

Naruto yawned and rubbed his belly. "I was full, but now I feel hungry again. I'm thinking of getting a bowl of ramen or something," he admitted, even acting out the motions of eating from a ramen bowl. "You want to come with me Shikaku-ojisan?" he asked afterwards.

Shikaku laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm fine. But I don't think you have enough time to have a bowl," he said.

"What?" Naruto said with some confusion. "Is there something going on?"

Shikamaru got up from the ground and dusted himself off. "We didn't do something to piss off Kaa-san again, right?" he asked. "She can be an annoying woman."

Shikaku sighed. "No, but don't let her hear you say that, or she will show you how annoying she really is. Naruto, you're going on a mission. Go back to your house so you could meet up with Jiraiya-sama and your brother," he told him.

"A mission?" Naruto asked. "What kind of mission?"

"It'll be better if you find out from Jiraiya-sama. Chōji, Chōza told me that food shipments have finally come to the Akimichi clan grounds and he wants you to help move the food before your fellow clansmen eat it," Shikaku said. "Inoichi is coming this way Ino, he's going to help you soon enough."

Ino smiled. "Finally, my good hard-working Tou-san will appear and help me. Unlike you three tools," she spat out.

Naruto grunted and started to walk towards his house. "See you later Shikamaru, Chōji, Ino-pig," he said while sticking out his tongue to them. "I'll catch you later."

Ino growled and stomped her foot to the ground again. "That idiot. That's what Forehead girls calls me and now he does it. Oh, he's going to pay next time I see him," she said as she started to crack her knuckles.

Shikamaru stepped away from Ino and moved close to his father. "Oyaji, we have to get out of here. Ino is acting up," he said.

Shikaku nodded, not wasting any time as he grabbed Shikamaru and walked away quickly from the scene. He didn't care, Inoichi could take care of his moody daughter himself.

* * *

 **Uzumaki Residence**

 **ZIP!**

"Is that everything?" the voice of Kotero asked. "You don't know how long you will be gone for. Tsunade might not be in this country. And even she is, the Land of Fire is a big place."

Naruto exhaled and sat on his bed. He looked to his bulky bag, which included all sorts of things. Most it was stored in storage scrolls, but that didn't mean the scrolls didn't take up a lot of room.

Naruto was also thinking of the same thing. He had no idea how long he was going to be gone for. It could be well over a month if things don't go their way.

"I think I'll be fine," Naruto said, patting his bag. "What about you?"

Kotero nodded with a smile. "Unfortunately. I have to pack very lightly. Each team member will have a hostage and it would be a pain in the ass to carry whoever and a bulky backpack, ya know," he said. "This little one will do just fine. Besides, the Hostage team has to move for long periods of time. We're going to get little sleep in the next few days."

Naruto played with his fingers, they were waiting for Jiraiya to finish up before they all left together for the main gates. "Which one are you bringing?" Naruto asked.

Kotero rested on Naruto's desk and crossed his arms. "Those Iwa ninja that you and Shikamaru had taken care of. I don't know who'll I get though. I just hope that this trip ends with that peace treaty," he said.

Naruto hummed in agreement. "Me too. But, it's just Sasuke they have, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Kotero asked.

Naruto stood up and started to walk around his room, thinking. "You could…"

"I could?"

"You could to suck them dry when it comes to the actual trade," Naruto said. "It'll be hard, but you have the advantage. Taking away Sasuke from Konoha... it really makes me mad. We have to make them pay!"

Kotero focused on Naruto, he wanted to hear more. He had his own game plan already to go around this sticky issue, however his little brother always produced ideas, good and ridiculous ones.

"Go on," Kotero said. "What's this advantage?"

"You have four of the Iwa hostages, or at least you should," Naruto said. "Even though it's Sasuke, he's the only one on their side. Both he and the girl had bloodline limits. She is also the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage. So, she's more valuable."

Kotero laughed lightly. "I thought you wouldn't say such a thing. Sasuke is your friend," he said. "But, you're completely right. There is one thing that has been bugging me since this whole… thing happened."

"And what's that Nii-chan?" Naruto asked.

Kotero stood up and went to the door. "How they even got inside the village without disrupting or breaking the barrier. That's the main question. Hopefully I'll find out, but we better go. Jiraiya is at the front door," he said. "You know, your thirteenth birthday is coming up soon."

Naruto groaned as he heard it. "Do we really have to do that?" he asked. "It sounds really painful," he complained afterwards. His hands went into the air to show his annoyance.

Kotero nodded with a wry smile on his face. "It has been tradition for every boy in the main family of the Uzumaki clan once they become thirteen. Our ancestors suffered through it and so will you. I had mine done nearly seven years ago, so don't complain about it," he said.

As Kotero walked, Naruto followed after his brother while strapping on his backpack. Wrapping it securely around him, he went downstairs and left his house. He watched as Kotero closed the door and pulsed his chakra into the door after forming the Horse and Monkey hand seals.

"What did that do?" Jiraiya asked. "Those seal marks in that pattern looked like they belonged to a lock seal, or a security seal."

Kotero nodded. "Correct. Since neither Naruto and I aren't going to be here for a while, I locked the door and house. Shikaku, Kakashi and Asuma have access to the house in cases of emergency, but nothing will happen when we're away," he said. "They don't need to come in and steal our food."

"You have confidence in that system?" Jiraiya asked. "You have a lot of valuable, rare stuff in there. Someone could try and steal that instead of your food."

"No one will be able to," Naruto said, interrupting the conversation. "We have seals all around the place. That seal Nii-chan turned on activated all of them. No one will be able to get in or out, even if they tried to jump in from Hokage mountain."

Jiraiya's eyebrows rose with surprise. "A linked system? That's impressive, but I expect nothing else from the Uzumaki," he said.

Naruto started walking towards the main gate with a tight grip on his back pack. "Come on. I don't have all day," he said, moving out of their sight with his quick walking.

Jiraiya rested his hands on his hips and sighed. "The youth today have no respect, right Kotero?"

"Naruto wait up. Don't leave me with the pervert!" Kotero shouted as he ran after Naruto.

Jiraiya growled and looked to the ground. "Sensei, what did I do to deserve this?" he asked himself. "I'll just have to catch up to them now."

Jiraiya didn't bother to run after them, but instead used the body-flicker technique multiple times until he reached the gates. It didn't take him long to make it and see Naruto waiting beside the guard hut, talking to Kotestu and Izumo.

In the distance, he saw Kotero talking to the Hokage Guard squad. Genma, Raidō and Iwashi were all in good spirits if their smiles were to say anything.

Jiraiya made his way to the Jōnin with his notebook in hand, taking notes for a new scene in his next book. He bit his lip as he already started to write down some musings, he needed a woman around to help visualise his character, but he had no such luck.

"Damn," Jiraiya said. "It's a damn sausage fest."

All four heads looked his way. "Jiraiya-sama!" the three Hokage Guard squad members said in surprise.

Kotero focused on Jiraiya with a frown on his face. He clicked his finger before pointing it at the man. "Jiraiya, what the hell are you doing with that pen? You better not be using me as one of your characters," he said.

Jiraiya whistled as he saw the fierceness in Kotero's eyes. It was amusing for the man. He shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry Kotero. You don't fit the necessary criteria to be one of my characters. Maybe a background character, but not the lead," he said. Shrugging his shoulders with a smirk, Jiraiya focused on Kotero. "You would have to pay me to be in one of my books. They're bestsellers. All the women would be hounding you for your attention. Maybe some men would even look up to you."

Kotero slumped his shoulders and sighed heavily. "I can't argue with that. You make both men and women weak in the knees," he said depressingly. His bitter and weak laugh made the scene glum. "When are those hostages coming?" he then asked, trying to change the subject quickly.

"Are they still not here?" the voice of Naruto asked as he came to the scene. "I thought you said ANBU were bringing them."

Genma chuckled and looked at Kotero. "How much stuff do you tell him? He must be the most informed Genin in Konoha," he said.

Kotero scratched the back of his head, he stuck his tongue out while moving his head away from the group and ignoring eye contact with any of them. "Ah now, I don't tell him that much," he said.

Naruto laughed as he shook his head. "Genma, you should have heard him yesterday. He wouldn't stop talking ttebayo. I had to give him the ol' one-two so I could get some peace and quiet," he said.

The group all laughed at Kotero's expense. Jiraiya started to slap Kotero's back with his laughs. However, all good things did not last forever.

Kotero clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He emitted his chakra all over his body slowly, it was a cold silver blue. He then raised his head and cracked his knuckles; his eyes were glaring at them all.

"I don't quite get the joke," Kotero said. "Would one of you mind explaining it to me?" he asked, cracking his knuckles even more.

Naruto stopped laughing and tried to find some way to lighten up the mood. He didn't need to at the end. As soon as the laughter died, a squad of four ANBU appeared with one Iwa ninja each. Naruto only recognised one, Kurotsuchi.

Kotero looked around his group. Smiling devilishly, he pointed his finger at Kurotsuchi as quickly as he could. "I'm taking her. No questions," he said. "You three can take the men."

The others sighed and moaned. "Why did you want her?" Jiraiya asked. "Oh? You're just like me, you can't resist a beautiful woman when you see one, right?" he said.

Kotero shook his head, but he still had a smile on his face. "I don't want to carry heavy luggage. The girl here is obviously the lightest one out of the four, Jiraiya," he said. "Though, I'll let your dirty mind think of its creations. This whole thing could be used for one of your stories."

Looking down to the young woman, Kotero knelt to the ground and investigated. He looked from the top of her head to the tips of her toes with focused eyes.

He then smiled and had a happy expression on his face. "Good. You look healthy considering the circumstances. No signs of harm or malnutrition anywhere," Kotero said. "That's good."

Kurotsuchi glared at Kotero, her eyes were full of hate. "I finally get to see you, Crimson Scum," she said heatedly. "You have a lot to pay for the shit you pulled."

Konoha clapped his hands, his eyes were the opposite of hers, they were full of excitement. "Oh!? We're giving each other nicknames already. Kurotsuchi-chan, this is clearly moving too fast. But you want this. Alright, your nickname shall be… Pebble-chan," he said with a smile.

Kurotsuchi growled and her eyes darkened. She leaned back and then shot forward. In the process of that, she spat out as much spit as she could. Where it landed was all over Kotero's face.

Kotero stood up slowly and wiped it off with disgust. "Damn, and here I thought you were a well-mannered young lady," he said. "Don't worry though Kurotsuchi-chan. By the end of this trip, you will be home back in Iwagakure and we would have become the best of friends!"

Kurotsuchi scoffs at the words and glares at him once more. "As if I would become friends with a ninja like you. Konoha scum, Crimson scum. It makes my skin crawl," she barked out. She even attempted to kick Kotero, but ultimately failed since she was heavily tied up. A chakra sealing tag also prevented her from utilising her full power of the **Lava release**.

Having enough of this, Naruto lightly punched Kotero's leg, making the latter look to him. "Nii-chan, stop making her mad. It's only going to bite you in the ass later on," he said. "You don't need any more trouble, especially after what we talked about yesterday."

Kotero saw the seriousness and worry behind Naruto's eyes, he could even hear it in the words. It was strange, but he knew it was the deep potential within Naruto to become a great leader.

"You're right," Kotero said. "I'll be nice to her from now on Naruto."

Kurotsuchi looked between the two Uzumaki with keen eyes. "Nii-chan?" she repeated until she finally gasped the situation. "You two are brothers!? I'm going to kill you both with my bare hands if I need to. Embarrassing me like this, I'll be the laughing stock of my village," she threatened, she ended it with a long growl.

Kotero sighed and lightly ruffled her hair. "Don't think like that. You're not going to be an embarrassment. You're granddaughter of the Tsuchikage for Goodness sake. Ōnoki and Kitsuchi would seriously go out of their way to try to kill me at every turn if I don't return you to Iwagakure… untouched," he said. "You're lucky that we're not like some people, like in those mass gang organisations. I know what they do to captives. A vile act that scars a man or woman for life."

Kurotsuchi started to shiver from the inclination. She full well knew what Kotero was implying.

Naruto felt uncomfortable when the words were said. The memories of the Wave mission came back to him when one of Gatō's henchman, Waraji, threatened to do the same to Tsunami.

"But I won't let that happen to you. I'll make sure that you and the other three are the most protected individuals in the world until we reach Kannabi bridge. We might have a few threats try to intersect us on the way there, but with myself and these guys, they'll be a piece of cake," Kotero said.

"Nii-chan," Naruto said, raising his fist out to him. "Good luck on your mission."

Kotero smiled and fist bumped Naruto. "You too Naruto. Make sure not to get killed," he said. Kotero then picked up Kurotsuchi's bindings and then put her on his back. He then tied one rope around his waist and hers, so she wouldn't fly off. "This is awkward but good enough. Alright you guys, let's fly," he ordered.

"Understood," Genma, Raidō and Iwashi all said.

All four Jōnin with their own hostage jumped out and into the forest, leaving the village and moving in the direction of North West.

Jiraiya hummed at the spot the Jōnin left. "It's astounding how much respect they have for someone who only came three years ago. It reminds me of the time after I got the status of being a 'legendary member of the Sannin', those were good days," he said, with a wistful smile plastered on his face.

Naruto popped to his side. "What are you talking about Ero-sennin?" he asked with his own smile. "You look really happy," he said.

Jiraiya turned to look at Naruto properly, and then ruffled Naruto's hair. "That's cause I am. The village treated us like royalty after we returned from our fight with Hanzō. Becoming S-ranked shinobi in skill, power and class. It was just surreal at the time," he said. "Your brother has been a S-ranked shinobi for just over two years now. Even though it has garnered him a lot of fame and respect. It has destroyed his reputation here with the recent events of the Iwa attack."

Naruto nodded sadly as it was completely true. "I don't understand it," he said. "In the past, they didn't mind him. Some actually liked him, of course some didn't like him because of me. But now everyone hates him."

"Well, not everyone," Jiraiya said. "You love him with all your heart, right?

Naruto got out of his downpour and smiled brightly. "Yeah, I love my Nii-chan!" he said.

"That's the spirit," Jiraiya said with a lewd grin growing. "Now, can you tell me any of his dirty secrets for some of my research?" he asked.

Naruto stepped back with his eyes widened. His disgust was written all over his face. "Ero-sennin, just no," he said. "Let's get on our way and find this old hag. And since you asked for Nii-chan's secrets behind his back. You owe me a new jutsu ttebayo," he shouted as he made his way out of Konoha through the main gates.

Jiraiya clicked his tongue and crossed his arms in a sulk. Following in the footsteps of the cheeky blond, Jiraiya sighed heavily. "Damn brat doesn't know his place. Owe you a jutsu? Get your head out of your ass Naruto," he muttered under his breath.

Naruto waved at Jiraiya in the distance. "Come on Ero-sennin. She might get away from us if we don't hurry," he said loudly.

Jiraiya grumbled to himself before exhaling and putting on a huge smile. "Of course, Naruto. My wonderful apprentice. Let's go to the Onsen town nearby first."

* * *

 **Outside Konoha Territory, Land of Fire**

The forest was quiet. It has been some time since Jiraiya has left Naruto to his own musings. The man went into the Onsen town to "gather information" for the search for the Hokage candidate, Senju Tsunade.

Naruto, already tried and failed on his attempt to find any source of knowledge on her whereabouts, went into the nearby forest to get some alone time.

It was already the middle of July, the sun was beating down hard across the lands and many plants were bearing their fruits. The birds were singing, and the fish were jumping out of the water.

Naruto was ignoring everything around him. His eyes were staring down to the ground. In front of him were two opened scrolls. One was filled with text, from the top to the bottom, nothing but writing with small diagrams.

The scroll was about chakra theory and chakra control for advanced levels. It was a scroll recommended to Jōnin or ninja training in the arts of healing. Naruto wanted to improve this skill even further than he currently was. Even though he has amazing reserves of chakra within him, there's nothing but benefits if he can improve his chakra control even further.

First, he had to learn and understand how these things work with the exercises listed in the scroll. He was sure if he did this, his results would be exponentially better. However, reading was a bore.

The other scroll was a detailed map of the Land of Fire.

The map included the different regions and the major towns within those regions, by in large it included every important location in the Land of Fire.

As of that moment, Naruto and Jiraiya were at Gero Onsen, a hot spring town south of the Capital, North of Konoha.

Looking at the map, Naruto saw that in the Himeji region in the north west section of the Land of Fire, it was mainly consisted of farm towns. Such farm towns that provided a large bulk of arable goods for many across the country.

The only notable location was the only major town in the Himeji region. Tanzaku Gai, the large mini-city was a haven for gambling and beautiful women. It was a popular tourist spot for its large and impressive castle complex. It would need a large and strong army of brave men to take it down. That, or a horrifying beast of massive size.

The only reason why he vividly remembered that name and all his focus was on its location was because of the bartender in the Land of Waves he talked to when he was trying to gather information about Gatō and Spades. He remembered he lied to the bartender, so he could spill the beans on the location of Spades. He only heard of the town by name but didn't know what or where it actually was.

Having enough of his study session, Naruto leaned back against the tree he was sitting beside and looked across the forest. It was only him and the animals. It was so serene, so peaceful.

' _When is Ero-sennin coming back?_ ' Naruto thought while chewing his lower lip. ' _He better have not got himself trapped with big boobed bimbo like he did a month ago. She swindled all the money he stole from Gama-chan. I'm glad I sealed Gama-chan up, so he couldn't do it again. It's my hard earned cash!'_

There was quiet ruffling close by to Naruto's spot. Naruto focused on the source of the noise, assuming it to be an animal. However, the sound of the footsteps were odd. Not like an animals at all.

Naruto quickly took out his kunai and threw it at the tree closest to the source of the noise. It flew through the air with ease.

It dug itself into the bark of the tree. The loud noise made the singing birds stop and fly away in swarms. The wonderful scene has come to an end.

"Who's there?" Naruto said loudly, making himself known. His hands started to form into the cross hand seal by instinct. If things came to the worst case scenario, he was going to ditch his resting spot and runaway, leaving a shadow clone in his place.

A hand emerged from the trees and grabbed the kunai.

Naruto looked at the hand, and then the body once the person revealed themselves. Naruto sighed and stood up, dusting his bum in the motions. "Ero-sennin, we were supposed to meet up an hour ago," Naruto complained, glaring at Jiraiya. "It's already three o'clock!"

Jiraiya laughed after he let out belch. "Sorry there Naruto," he said. "Just was… yeah I was gathering information. Doesn't look like you had any luck either."

Naruto crossed his arms and shook his head sluggishly. "Nothing. I got absolutely nothing. But what could I do? All you told me was that she was a good looking woman, she has big boobs and blonde hair. I don't think many people would be able to help with just that," he said. "In the next town, give me something more to work with."

Jiraiya yawned. His afternoon drinking has made him a bit tired. He wouldn't mind going for a nap right now, but he needed to find her before it was too late.

Danzō was already gunning down for the position and Jiraiya was convinced it would take a couple of miracles to make Kakashi Hokage instead. Jiraiya knew Konoha would be in an even worse place if that man became their leader. Not only do most of the ninja don't trust him, but neither does the rest of the world.

"Well I don't what else could help you," Jiraiya said. "She only stays in places that are known for their gambling. She has a nickname because of it."

"Oh?" Naruto said, coming closer to the man with his interest peaked. "What's this nickname then Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya laughed and slapped Naruto's shoulder once the boy was close enough. "Well, Tsunade has terrible luck. Always had and always will until the day she dies. Since she keeps losing in her gambling, she has to borrow money from all sorts of people. And guess what!? She never pays them back. So, because of this, he fame has spread across the Mainland. She's known as the Legendary Sucker," he said with a lewd smile. "I just wish she would put her _skills_ to other uses hehe."

Naruto frowned once he saw Jiraiya whip out his notebook and lashed down his ideas onto the paper. It was insane how quickly the man was writing. Every passing second, his tongue would stick out further and further with his cheeks growing to a bright red. It was a horrifying image.

"Legendary Sucker huh?" Naruto repeated. "I heard that name way too many times."

 _And finally, the cherry on top. The infamous 'Legendary sucker' has escaped her money collectors yet again. That has been going on for years, yet I keep getting news on it. Makes me laugh._

 _She's here! The Legendary Sucker? Lucky for her that she doesn't owe me money, but it's nice to know the woman has a fine taste in dining._

The words of the Spades and Niko were heard from his memories. It seemed that Tsunade wasn't doing the best job from keeping herself hidden. Especially if she was casually dining in one of the Capital's restaurants.

It all clicked for Naruto, and he then grinned like a madman off his knocker.

Jiraiya noticed the shift in emotion and expression. He focused his eyes on Naruto, slightly furrowing his brows before talking. His curiosity has been peaked.

"What's that look on your face for?" Jiraiya asked, crossing his arms while leaning on a nearby tree for support.

Naruto stood up and waved Jiraiya off. "Just that I know what we should do next. But… I don't want to do it," he said wistfully.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes with a heavy sigh. Naruto wanted something, and he knew from experience that a bowl of ramen wasn't going to cut it. Well, not anymore at least.

"Naruto. What do you want?" Jiraiya asked. "The longer we mess around here, the more likely she will get away from us."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "You know, I want a jutsu that is better than Sasuke and Kakashi's **Chidori**. If I'm going to be the best Hokage, I'm going to need to have some of the strongest jutsu to back myself up with," he said.

Jiraiya exhaled heavily through his nose and then reached into one of his pouches. "I didn't think I would be teaching this to you so soon. You might be a bit young for it. But, Kakashi did develop his jutsu at the same age as you. And your fellow student Sasuke has a good grasp on it as well. Alright, I'll teach you the ultimate technique that will put the **Chidori** to shame," he said as he moved his way to the river.

Naruto's eyes widened after he heard the words. His heart started to beat faster, his excitement grew tenfold.

"What is it then!?" Naruto asked with shaking, clenched fists.

Jiraiya wagged his finger and pulled out something from his pouch, his hand kept it hidden. He then dipped his hands in the water, staying there while his eyes kept to the waters. He whistled to pass the time. The tune was cheerful.

Jiraiya eventually stood up and had two water balloons in his hands. He walked over to Naruto and threw one of them to him.

Naruto caught it and looked down to it with scrutinizing eyes. "What's this for ttebayo?" he asked with a hint of a bite.

Jiraiya laughed heartedly, his chest expanded from his large intakes of air. "Just wait and prepare yourself before your mind is blown," he said with a smile.

With his right hand, Jiraiya focused his chakra, he kept his eyes on the tree in front of him, staring down at one spot.

Naruto's eyes were shocked once he saw a blue ball of chakra form and then expand until it was the same size as the balloons Jiraiya just filled. He then thrusted the ball of chakra forward, his smile never faded.

The bark started to shred with the rotation of the ball of chakra. A complete blitz of wood sprayed in all directions, the spray followed a clockwise rotation.

Digging into the thick tree, Jiraiya stopped his thrusting and looked to Naruto. "Now let's go to the deep end!" he said with too much excitement.

Jiraiya thrusted the ball of chakra forward with more force then before, and just at the end, he turned his wrist, making the ball completely destroy the tree.

"What the hell...?" Naruto murmured. His breath was taken away. The ball of rotating chakra was just that memorising. He has never seen anything like it before.

Jiraiya moved his hand and showed off the ball of chakra to Naruto. If his face suggested anything, it was that he was chuffed with himself in impressing the young ninja.

"Do you like it?" Jiraiya said. "It's called the **Rasengan**. The Yondaime Hokage created this jutsu. It is certainly better than that flashy **Chidori**."

"Oh?" Naruto said, his eyes were darting all around Jiraiya's **Rasengan**. "I love it. Teach me it!"

Jiraiya released the **Rasengan** and it disappeared. "Alright. Naruto, to do this jutsu, you will need to master three main steps. Let's just start with the first one, rotation. It sounds simple, believe me I know, but damn it's hard to grasp at first. However, it is the easiest of the three stages and should take the least amount of time," he said.

Naruto nodded with glee. He was getting more and more eager. There was however a question on his mind.

"How much harder are the other steps compared to this one?" Naruto asked. "It can't be that much harder, right Ero-sennin? Sasuke learnt the **Chidori** in less than four weeks."

Jiraiya shook his head with the look of disappointment on his face. "It doesn't matter how long it took Sasuke to learn the **Chidori**. This is a different jutsu. The Yondaime took three years to create this jutsu. Kakashi made his in less than a year. Now, watch me."

Jiraiya showed his water balloon which was in his left hand. The balloon went ballistic, forming bumps all around.

 **POP!**

"Woah… What did you do?" Naruto asked. "One second it was fine and then BANG! It's gone," he said.

Jiraiya bit his lower lip before he asked his question. "Were you even watching? You should have some idea on what to do," he said.

Naruto gasped, and then instantly growled. "Not all this again Ero-sennin! When we were training, you would say something after the beating the life outta me in our spar, then go off and treat yourself to some bimbo woman," he said. "Come on, teach me one-on-one!"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Idiot. Figuring it out is part of the puzzle, but let me check one thing," he said before he grabbed Naruto's head and looked at it from a bird's eye view.

"AH! What the hell are you doing!?" Naruto shouted out. "That's my hair!"

Jiraiya released Naruto after humming to himself contently. "Your hair grows in a clockwise direction. When you practice, think like the clock turning from six to twelve. That should help you out," he said.

Naruto placed his balloon on his right palm and gripped it with careful fingers. He breathed in and out until his body has calmed down. He focused his chakra in his right hand. The balloon started to stretch, the water inside started to swirl. Yet, there was no sign of any damage whatsoever.

Naruto stopped and looked at Jiraiya with sad eyes. "Any tips Ero-sennin?" he asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I already said that you need to figure this out by yourself. Now, what was this thing that we should do next?" he asked.

Naruto played with his water balloon while looking at Jiraiya in the eyes. "We should go to the Capital. I heard that the 'Legendary Sucker' was eating there when we were training. We could find out where she went to next since there's a few casinos there," he said.

Jiraiya looked surprised as his brows were high up on his face. "The Capital? When were you there?"

Naruto scoffed. "You remember your damn trials Ero-sennin? I had to go there to find where you went," he said hastily.

Jiraiya laughed and nodded happily. "Oh yeah. You a very smart kid Naruto," he said. Jiraiya turned his body to the North and squinted his eyes. "We really ran hard and covered lots of ground when we left Konoha to get to Gero Onsen. The Capital's south gate should only be a three hour journey if we walk fast."

"It felt longer when we camped south of that forest a month ago," Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded. "Well, it shouldn't be a surprise Naruto, but you have gotten faster since then. Now, shall we go," he said. "You can practice the first step along the way. But it's not like you will complete it anytime soon."

Naruto stared intently at his balloon. He then exhaled heavily and grinned to himself. "We'll see about that…Ero-sennin."

* * *

 **Capital of the Land of Fire, Southern District**

 **Maiden's Entrance**

Taking the longer route was always annoying. It meant you had to walk a further distance, and in the end, you feel more fatigued. However, in this case, Naruto was thankful for it.

Himself and Jiraiya were walking down the path that lead to the Southern District of the Capital. Naruto could already see in the distance the large engravings that surrounding the colossal gates. A beautiful woman that was famous in the City's history, it was believed she was the first to have the gardens on the roofs of buildings and encouraging others to join her, thus making the city grow large and strong. The rest was history.

Naruto moved his eyes back to the balloon on his right hand. He's been building up a sweat from all the focused work he has put in. At some points on their long journey, Naruto just wanted to throw the water balloon at the back of Jiraiya's head for giving him such a difficult task yet not giving him a good hint.

"Still having difficulty?" the voice of Jiraiya asked. "You better get rid of that balloon before we go inside the Capital. We need to put all of our energy into finding anything about Tsunade and her location."

Naruto huffed. "No. I need to pop this first!" he said. "It's been laughing in my face for the last four hours."

Jiraiya sighed. "We're arriving an hour later then we should be. If you actually walked faster, we would have been here earlier!" he complained.

Naruto ignored Jiraiya and put all his focus to the water balloon.

' _Calm down Naruto. You can do this. What am I doing wrong?'_ he thought when he watched the balloon expand. The water was only rotating in one direction. Naruto was using his chakra to rotate it clockwise, yet it yielded no results. ' _Maybe I would have better luck with the other way? Like the chakra leaf exercise Nii-chan made me do.'_

Naruto felt the water in a clockwise fashion. He then focused on his chakra and changed its direction.

It was only for a moment, but the balloon had bumps appear over most its body before it resumed back to its original shape. Naruto gasped and stopped walking, making Jiraiya notice.

"Naruto," Jiraiya said, "is there something wrong?" he asked quickly.

Naruto didn't answer and smiled. ' _I have to make the water collide with each other. This will be hard, but if I can make my chakra move the water in all sorts of individual different directions, it should do something right!'_ he thought, his tongue sticking out.

Naruto focused on his chakra once more and imagined the chakra going in different arcs within the balloon, all staying in the same sphere.

Jiraiya watched carefully on what Naruto was doing. He could see that Naruto had put all of his attention just for this.

The balloon started to move erratically to Jiraiya's surprise. It suddenly grew bumps, going in and out. Something was about to happen.

 **POP!**

Jiraiya was speechless. As he watched the water drip from Naruto's hands, his eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"AH!" Jiraiya shouted out. "How did you do it so quickly!? That was only four hours, it should have taken you days to figure it out."

Naruto smiled and then clenched his fist. "Sweet! I did it. And I did it before we got to the Capital. Damn, I'm great. I can already hear it. Uzumaki Naruto-sama, the greatest Hokage ever to reign. Master of all ninja skills and a fierce summoner of the Toads," he said in an eccentric fashion, ending his little speech with a pose. It was somewhat similar to his companion's.

Jiraiya sighed and covered his face from embarrassment. "What the hell are you doing Naruto? People are staring at you," he said.

Naruto laughed and then pointed his finger at Jiraiya. "This is the same thing you did to me when we were in the hospital ttebayo. Don't think I just learnt this outta nowhere," he said. "Now, Ero-sennin, what's the next stage?"

Jiraiya sighed and placed his hand back into his pouch of goodies. He then took out two tough rubber balls. He threw one to Naruto and placed the other in his right hand.

"Step one was rotation. That's now complete. But the **Rasengan** needs to have some power behind it if it wants to be considered a strong jutsu. This is what step two is. Power. You will repeat step one, but you have to try and pop these tougher balls. It should be at least a hundred times harder than the balloon," Jiraiya told him.

Jiraiya exhaled and focused his chakra again in his right hand. The rubber ball started to vibrate sporadically.

 **BANG!**

"Damn, that thing is loud," Naruto said when he covered his ears. "Does it always make that noise?" he asked.

Jiraiya chuckled and wiped the bottom of his nose. "Yeah, but it's not like you won't hear it anytime soon Naruto. Put that thing in your pocket and let's go inside the city," he said, moving forward while pulling on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto slapped Jiraiya's hand away and the two moved quickly into the Capital. Going through Maiden's gate, they were now on Ginkaku street which lead to the Ivory Market Plaza.

The two stopped before the plaza and saw the traders pack away their produce. Naruto looked up to Jiraiya with a question on his mind.

"What should we do now?" Naruto asked. "You decide Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya placed his hand on the bottom of his chin and thought about it for a few mere seconds. He then clicked his fingers loudly.

"We split up. It's seven o'clock right now. Let's say we will meet up around ten o'clock outside the Central Guard Tower. Just look and ask around about anything to do with Tsunade or the 'Legendary Sucker'. This city is a great of hub of information, I'm sure we'll find something out," he said.

Naruto nodded and gave Jiraiya two thumbs up. "Understood Ero-sennin, I'll do my best," he said.

Jiraiya lightly laughed and ruffled Naruto's hair lightly. "You're actually a good student when you want to be," he said.

Jiraiya then reached into his back pouch and took out a piece of paper with seal markings and a thousand ryō note. "You haven't eaten since your breakfast. So, get some food and take a break. That piece of paper has a few more of those rubber balls if you lose that one or take a break from information gathering. Now, I'll stay here in the south and check out the Northern district later on. You check out the Eastern and Western Districts," he said.

Naruto walked towards the centre of the Capital and waved off Jiraiya. "Cool. I'll meet you at that Guard Tower at ten for sure. Bye Ero-sennin, don't get drunk or lose yourself to a pretty lady ttebayo," he shouted out as began to run ahead.

Naruto giggled as he could hear the fuming moans off Jiraiya. Naruto already knew where he was going. He had to go to the only woman who he knew well that lived in this ginormous city, Niko.

Naruto weaved through the crowds and was heading towards the Western District. All he remembered was that she owned a very posh restaurant close to the 'Core'. So, for starters, Naruto decided to head in the direction of the Daimyō's palace.

Naruto wished he could jump onto the high rooftops of the buildings around him. The people were in his way, as well as the fact that it would only lead Naruto into trouble if he used his chakra to enhance his speed to run through the roads. The people around him were only used to the royal guard and the samurai.

They don't utilise chakra to increase their speeds. Naruto heard a rumour in the past that a random Konoha ninja received a fine because he used his chakra in such fashion. He certainly didn't want to pay money for something he could spend on ramen.

Naruto just moved through the crowds as fast as he could. He ran through back streets and crossed a bridge joining the two districts.

After some time, he eventually made it to the centre of the Western District. Thankfully, the number of pedestrians were far lower. The only problem was that there were more samurai guards patrolling around the streets.

It made sense since it was the richest of the four districts, but Naruto didn't want their eyes all over him. Konoha ninja were always targets for the samurai guards to watch.

Naruto walked through the streets with his hands in his pockets, his right cradling the rubber ball that resided deep within. His eyes were peeled to find that mysterious restaurant.

The cool breeze brushed his skin as he turned a corner on the streets. His mood dropped when he didn't see anything to do with Niko. He even half expected to run into her guards of Toroi and Yuuto. They seemed like strong men in Naruto's eyes.

The sunset was coming, as it always did at this time of the day. The sky bleed red and orange. Everything was covered in dark colours. Naruto could feel the warmth from the evening sun, it was simply wonderful as he walked down the stone paths. It was the only thing keeping him happy now. The achievement of completing step one of the **Rasengan** passed fairly quickly once the task at hand initiated.

Naruto turned yet another corner. His eyes scanned his surroundings. "Is that it?" he asked himself. He walked closer to a restaurant, which its walls were partially covered in ivy. He noticed red lights come over the sign which hung over the wall. The restaurant's name was 'The Deck'.

Naruto shifted his eyes to the wall close to the door. There was a menu posted on the white and black brickwork. Naruto's eyes went straight to the appetizers, looking for one particular dish.

Naruto grinned like a madman. "Two and a half thousand ryō just for some chowder. It was some good chowder though. This is the place then," he said.

The luxury restaurant was filled with guests. The smell of food was prominent in the air. The regular menu items were available, but it seemed a special belly pork dish was the special today. Naruto found it odd that such a cheap cut of meat would be the star dish. However, he could smell the pork in the air. It was also his favourite filling for his ramen, he could sniff it out better than any Inuzuka sniffing hound.

Naruto walked in swiftly and went straight to the reception's desk. There, he saw the manager that he particularly disliked on their first meeting. The man had no respect for him whatsoever. He could tell.

Naruto's hand hovered over the service bell, it was time.

 **DING! DING!**

"Booking a reservation? I'm sorry to disappoint but the next booking won't be until in two weeks' time on the Monday," the manager said, he then turned his head and looked down to Naruto. His face immediately soured. "Oh, it's you."

Naruto sighed with a hint of annoyance. But he liked Niko a lot, he thought she was cool and funny.

She was a woman who has her best interests in for Kotero, for whatever reason. He honestly didn't care, it actually made him happy. The Uzumaki brothers were going through a rough patch and they need every friend they could get.

Therefore, there was no way in hell that Naruto was going to do anything whatsoever to screw up her business.

"Yo," Naruto said. "I'm looking for Niko-neechan. I'm wondering if you can help me. Has she been around here today?" he asked.

The man exhaled loudly through his nose. His eyes were squinted, aiming directly at Naruto. "The fair lady, Niko-sama, isn't here right now. Go to the park across the street and play with the dirt or do something. I don't know what kids these days do for fun anyway," he said.

Naruto resisted the urge to break this man's jaw with a slap, so he held back his tongue. Instead, he clenched his fist hard.

"I was only asking. Do you have any idea where she could be?" Naruto asked. "It's really important."

The manager shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't give a damn about your problems. I have to put all my focus on tonight's service. And you're holding me back. Scram before I call the guards," he threatened.

Naruto stepped back and turned his way to the door. "Thanks a lot asshole," Naruto cursed with his tongue sticking out, his middle finger pointing straight up at him. Something you wouldn't normally see with a young and courteous boy like Naruto, but this man already pushed him to his limits.

Naruto left the restaurant and went to the park the manager mentioned. He took out his rubber ball and sighed depressingly.

"She better come so I can find out about that old hag. Or else Ero-sennin might take Gama-chan away again. That asshole manager, I hope he gets what he deserves soon," Naruto spat out.

Naruto then calmed himself and looked down to the rubber ball. "I'll practice this power thing for a bit. Then I'll look for some ramen at the ramen bar I went to last time. Hopefully by then, Niko-nee would have come here. She's my best bet."

* * *

 **Land of Fire, Deep Forest**

The time was half past eight in the evening. The Hostage Transport team were in deep forest land. Everywhere you looked was green and brown. Only some slits of orange light pierced between the trees. It was warm, scenic even.

The members of the Hostage team were watching over their own individual hostage to make sure none of them had a premature escape.

Genma had made a small camp fire and the team made small dinners for everyone. They couldn't make too much food or else the entire population of forest would be able to sniff them out. They also had to create a small fire. Minimising the smoke output made sure they were in safer conditions.

As soon as the meals were made, both Genma and Raidō killed the fire before they took their dishes to feed themselves and the Iwa hostages.

Making his way to his hostage, Kotero had two bowls filled with the hot food. A simple dish of chicken scraps, beans and rice. It looked unpleasant.

Kotero made his way to a large tree and he sat down on a fallen trunk. In front of him was Kurotsuchi sitting upright against the tree. Still tied up in ninja wire. She couldn't do a thing to escape. Even if she did, her chakra was suppressed by such a large margin that one jutsu could make her collapse to the ground, where she would be tied up again. God, she hated where she was right now.

Kotero took a spoonful of his meal, as he chewed his food, his face began to sour up. Swallowing, he wiped his mouth with a frown.

"Raidō obviously heard nothing about seasoning. This is so bland," Kotero said quietly with despair. "Grr..."

Kotero then placed his bowl beside him and grabbed the other with its spoon. He took a spoonful and moved the spoon towards Kurotsuchi's mouth.

"Open wide Pebble-chan," he said. "My friend made us some food. You better eat up."

Kurotsuchi turned her mouth away whilst her eyes glared at Kotero. "I don't want this crap," she said with a hiss. She then used her head to knock the food out of the spoon. Sadly, all of it fell on the ground.

Kotero brought back the spoon and tapped it on the edge of the metal bowl. The noise was sharp, loud to the ears.

"You should eat some," Kotero said, the fun in his voice had vanished. "I don't want you to get hungry."

Kurotsuchi laughed to herself. "As if you actually care about me. No, you don't at all. I attacked your village, you probably want to kill me right now," she said. "Am I right?"

Kotero shook his head and took another spoonful of the food. "No. I don't want to kill you in the slightest," he said with a monotoned voice.

 **Grumble!**

Kotero smiled once he heard Kurotsuchi's belly make some noise. She was hungry, it was obvious. However, he knew from the look from her eyes that she needs some convincing before she eats Raidō's bland food.

"When I was younger. Myself and my Kaa-chan got lost when we were exploring once. This happened years ago, I must have been five or six. But we got separated in this massive cave system. And, we didn't see each other for a week. I went into one area and she went to another. There was no food, we were starving. It never occurred to either of us to stay in one place or wait until the other founds us. Instead, we were idiots and wasted energy, we never stopped to think.

The only things to eat in that pitch-black cave were these insects that tasted like crap. I couldn't eat more than one at a time, they were that bad.

Eventually, we found each other and then left that blasted cave. We never got the herb that Kaa-chan was looking for. We lost a lot of weight in that one week. Our stomachs roared and roared for any food, good or bad. It was just a space that needed to be filled.

I made sure that Kaa-chan ate plenty once we made it to the nearby town. As you know, men can survive with a lower level of bodyfat. I didn't know that as a kid, but I wanted her to be healthy. Plus... before that she went through something no mother ever wants to go through. No mother should ever go through."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kurotsuchi asked. "What you said was really... personal."

Kotero scratched his cheek with his free hand. "Well... I don't like the fact that you won't let me feed you, that's all. Maybe if we got to know each other better, you won't be so stubborn," he said. "So? Are you still not going to eat this fresh meal?"

 **Grumble!**

Kurotsuchi sighed and then nodded. "Fine," she said. Opening her mouth, she waited for her bite.

Kotero spoon-fed the Iwa girl with a smile. Kurotsuchi chewed on the food and swallowed it quickly.

"Tasteless and gritty, but it's better than nothing I suppose," Kurotsuchi said with narrowed eyes. "Come on. Feed me the rest. I'm sure your Kaa-chan is proud of you."

Kotero lightly laughed. "I hope she is. She's dead."

The conversation died. Kurotsuchi didn't want to talk now since she opened up an old wound. She could tell from the shift in his eyes. The nostalgic shine they had disappeared and now they were dull. She opened her mouth to receive her next spoonful, just hoping that the awkwardness will end after her dinner.

As the bowl's contents emptied quickly. Kotero used a napkin to clean up Kurotsuchi's mouth before throwing it in the bowl. It will be cleaned later. He stood up and looked down to her.

"I'll be back with a blanket. I have to keep you warm for the night," Kotero said, his body changing direction to the centre of the camp.

"I'm a disappointment to my village. Me a Jōnin, taken out by a mere Genin," Kurotsuchi said.

Kotero turned to see her face. Her eyes were growing puffy, the pink irises were shining in the evening sun.

Kotero chuckled, making her look up to him. "I wouldn't say that now. Imagine how worried Kitsuchi is over you. I wouldn't be surprised if he cries himself to bed every night ever since he found out about your situation. Don't forget, one of Konoha's prodigies was kidnapped as well. Sasuke already has the strength to be a great Chūnin. Has the potential to be a fantastic Jōnin very soon. With that and Konoha's condition, you're not the only one who should feel embarrassed," he said.

Kotero heard Kurotsuchi giggle for the first time. It was strange to hear. Such a fierce and brash girl. Who would have thought she could make such an adorable noise?

"Tou-san would never cry. I've never seen him cry in my whole life. I just hope he doesn't think I'm a weak kunoichi," Kurotsuchi admitted.

Kotero turned back to Kurotsuchi and knelt in front of her. "Let me tell you something straight. If this was any other situation, I would kill you. Not out of malice or hate. Not because I'm still angry at your village for attacking me all those years ago or what you guys did to Konoha. No, it's because you are a threat.

You are an extraordinarily strong kunoichi. Never forget that, Pebble-chan!" he said. Kotero had to jump back quickly before Kurotsuchi tried to headbutt him. The man had learnt that she would resort to violence, it was all part of his plan.

Kurotsuchi went back to resting on her tree, and there was a small smile on her face. "Thanks for saying that," she said.

Kotero gave her a thumbs up and went back to the camp. "We're still a bit away from Kannabi bridge. I wonder how those two are holding up?"

* * *

 **Unknown Location, Konoha, ROOT Headquarters**

Sitting on his mat in peace, Danzō was deep within his thoughts. The results from the previous meeting in the Konoha Courts stirred up trouble. It was good, but clearly not good enough.

Hoping to trigger the emotional bomb that was Uzumaki Kotero, he wanted to see the elder Uzumaki go in a complete outrage, causing a scene. Destroying the village and potentially harming the people.

That would've been a chance to kill the young man. A chance to move forward with his master plan.

Not many things unsettle Shimura Danzō, but he does. He, and the younger brother. Both are heathens that need to be taken care of. Bringing Senju Tsunade into Konoha, a woman who would take their side over his would cause even more problems.

Danzō needs the problem taken care of. And of course, it needs to be done as soon as possible, in a quick and efficient manner. Like he would.

"Fū. Torune," Danzō called out into the large and cold open space.

Two figures draped in cloaks appeared in front of their leader, their faces covered with porcelain masks.

"What is your request Danzō-sama?" they both said together.

Exhaling heavily, Danzō tightened both his grip and his sight. Looking down to his subjects he said.

"It is time to begin Operation: Konoha's Rebirth. Mission objective is to neutralise Uzumaki Kotero and disrupt the escort team's mission, make sure the girl doesn't go back to her village, the others are expendable. Do so by any means, failure is not an option. I will send out multiple squads to assist. Sacrifices are to be made for Konoha, and this is no different."

Fū and Torune nodded and vanished from their spots. Their master did not like them wasting time.

The hunt was now on.

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


	26. Chapter 26 - Friend or Foe?

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

 **(A/N) It's been a long time since the last update. Way too long in fact. Let's change that with this new chapter.**

 **In other news, I found out that Initial D has some of the best soundtracks ever. I can't stop listening to them. However, this doesn't explain the near three and a half month hiatus.**

 **Anyhow, enjoy the chapter and have a good weekend guys.**

 **Chapter 26 – Friend or Foe?**

 **Capital of the Land of Fire, Western District**

 **FLOP!**

"GRR! What the hell!? This is so hard," the voice of Naruto complained. The rubber ball that he gripped had one large hole. The tension was released, and the ball flattened, it looked like a pathetic pancake.

Naruto scrunched the ripped rubber ball and threw it in the nearby bin. Crossing his arms over his chest, Naruto scowled with a huff and puff of his cheeks. The nearby pedestrians were wondering why the child was filled with so much rage. However, they didn't bother to find out. It wasn't worth their time or hassle.

Naruto relaxed and loosened up eventually. He calmed himself down by smelling the savoury aroma that resided on his fingertips. He made the right choice of going to Takara Ramen earlier on, if he didn't, he would have blown up because of his fury.

It was his ultimate cure and weakness. Ramen did wonders to the boy, Naruto would even consider it his personal medicine.

Naruto took out another rubber ball and gripped it hard in his right hand. Staring intently at it, he was trying to find the solution to it.

"The first step is the whole base of the jutsu. I have that down. I can control my charka as it goes in multiple directions. Now, I need to make it more powerful," he whispered through gritted teeth.

Naruto regripped the rubber ball and his eyes shifted over to it. Focusing hard, Naruto began to mould his chakra and form the base of the **Rasengan**.

His hand started to vibrate with the ball. Was Naruto going to achieve and complete the second stage of the Rasengan already?

 **FLOP!**

No, he wasn't, and he wasn't going to achieve it by a longshot.

Naruto watched as the rubber ball deflated once again, just like his emotions. Forming a frown due to his disappointment, Naruto threw the ball into the bin. Resealing the pile of rubber balls, Naruto packed up his belongings and left the park across from the 'Decks' restaurant.

He then peeked his head inside and looked around for any sign of the woman. There was nothing apart from the rude manager staying behind his desk, tending to the books. Naruto growled and went back outside.

Walking a few mere steps to the centre of the road, Naruto looked up to the high clocktower that stood tall and proud in the Western District. Intricate patterns were carved in the stonework, it was truly a pleasure to appreciate the art.

Staring at the hands of the clock, Naruto read the time. "Oh damn… It's already ten to ten. I don't have that much time left. Ero-sennin will be waiting for me at that Central Guard tower place," he said. "It might be a good idea to leave now and meet up with him. I doubt Ero-sennin will have anything either."

Naruto sighed depressingly, turning his body around towards the centre of the Capital, he picked the pace, so he can meet up with Jiraiya in time.

 **CRASH!**

A sense of déjà vu washed over Naruto as he had to take a few steps back. He crashed most of his body into something hard, but his head had hit and rebounded off something incredibly soft.

"Damnit, what is it with this city and people getting in my way!" Naruto complained while checking he had everything on him. It could have been a petty thief that he encountered.

Naruto looked loosely and saw the figure of a woman walking close to him. "Look, sorry about that lady, but I'm in a rush," he told her, moving right round the woman, then moving forward. "So, I better be going off."

The woman laughed lightly, Naruto was stopped in his tracks as his collar was held in a tight grip.

"Now oh now, you can't leave me that quickly," the woman stated. Her voice was familiar, very soothing. A voice that he liked.

However, Naruto wasn't in the best of moods. In fact, he was in a terrible mood. Not only was his wait for Niko had become a waste of time, his training for the **Rasengan** wasn't showing any improvement. And now of all things, he had to smash his body into someone else's.

All he wanted was to get Jiraiya and go to bed.

"I can do what I want lady! Don't order me around," Naruto declared with a soured tone, walking away from the scene.

"Oi, wait for me."

Naruto felt a hand grasp his right shoulder with quite some force. Instinct overran his body. Naruto grabbed the wrist of the holder with his left and then grabbed the top of the forearm with his right.

Feeling the structure of the arm, Naruto could tell that it was a woman with muscular arms. Not something you see in the women of the Capital, though it would be a different story if he was back in Konoha.

However, this woman's arm was still more muscular than those he has seen before, not that he felt the other Kunoichi's arms.

As Naruto watched the person flip over his head, he saw elegant free flowing white hair pass over his eyes. At that moment, his heart dropped to rock bottom.

' _Oh shit!_ ' Naruto thought with a mental shout. He knew he was going to be in a world of pain.

The woman landed on her using her amazing flexibility, she then twisted her body, so she was facing Naruto. Her eyes covered in darkness painted a scary picture.

With the flick of her wrist and arm, she disarmed Naruto's grip on her. With a quick grab, she tightly tugged Naruto's head and pulled it down.

Naruto scrunched his face in pain, but that wasn't the worst part. As soon as his face scrunched up, his nose was met with her rock-hard knee.

 **CRACK!**

The force of it was unbelievable, and so was the pain. Naruto cringed, the action reminded him of his spars with Kotero.

With the force putting him off-balance, Naruto stumbled backwards covering his face and nose. He felt fresh warm blood flow out of his now newly broken nostrils with his shaky right hand.

"Oh no, it's broken," Naruto whimpered. "It better heal up soon. Ow, jeez that hurt like hell!"

Naruto then felt his arms were being taken away from him. His right arm was being held in an iron-tight grip, the other twisted around so much that it could easily break if enough force was applied. Naruto's back felt the body of the woman who has locked him down.

It really was a sense of déjà vu for him today. He then felt a pair of lips come dangerously close to his left ear.

"Calm down if you don't want a broken arm, Naruto." Again, the voice was familiar. And Naruto shouldn't be surprised one bit. There was only one woman he knew who would have done something like this.

Naruto relaxed his body and dropped his shoulders. "Niko-neechan!" he cheered with a happy expression.

A groan was heard from Niko. Naruto could hear the exasperation in her voice. "Naruto, you shouldn't so happy. Your nose is broken. Come on, I guess I'll have to heal you up," she said with grief. "I didn't want to hurt you. But you flipped me over and tried to hurt me. What the hell is going on with you?"

Naruto felt Niko unhanded him. The warmth disappeared. He then wiped his nose of the fresh flowing blood. He looked around to see if that they had made a scene. As expected, everybody was watching them as they walked by with grim stares.

Without any warning, Naruto then felt he was pulled across the street to the wall of a building.

"Well, are you going to tell me?" Niko asked with seriousness, towering over Naruto with her arms crossed under her chest. The look of worry was on her face.

Naruto blushed slightly and pulled his head back a bit. He wasn't used to other people apart from his brother and Nara Yoshino worrying about him.

"Nee-chan, I really need your help," Naruto said. "You're the only person I could think of."

"What's the problem? Is it Kotero?" Niko asked immediately with her teeth baring. "Is he in danger? Are you in danger? Just lay it on me."

Naruto shook his hand whilst covering his nose. "No Nee-chan. Nothing like that. Nii-chan is fine. I just need help with my mission. It's really important that I can get a solid lead," he answered.

Niko relieved her tension with a loud sigh and nodded slowly. "I understand… Come on, we're getting noticed out here. And I can't stand looking at your bloodied face anymore knowing I was the one who did it. Let's go," she ordered as she turned heel and walked ahead.

Naruto followed suit, leaning his head back to slow down the flow of blood. "Sorry Nee-chan," he said with a struggle. "I didn't know it was you. I thought you were a thief for like a second."

Niko's response was a snort. "I don't steal from children Naruto. Especially cute ones like yourself," she said with a voice too sweet.

"Stop it Nee-chan. You'll probably make my bleeding worse."

"Is that so? I thought you were good at healing your wounds now Naruto," Niko said with a small smile, her voice never changing.

Naruto frowned and the happy smile that he had left. "Where did you get that idea from, Nee-chan?"

Naruto then heard the loud humming of Niko.

"I remember Kotero and I were talking, and he had a small bandage around his wrist. I asked him what it was, he then said something like _'Ah it's nothing to worry about. Just something I picked up during my contract. It'll heal quickly, it's in my blood,'_ or something along those lines. Contract meaning him finishing up on killing someone," she said with a stone-cold voice.

Naruto felt a wave of awkwardness hit him. How was he supposed to reply to that?

"I didn't know you and Nii-chan knew each other so well. I thought you just talked to him at the exams because he was the only person there you knew."

"Not at all. I'd like to think that we're close friends. It certainly feels that way. But you know, sometimes he doesn't really express how he really feels. And whenever he comes here, he's always on a mission," Niko complained as she walked, combing through her hair with her fingers. The long locks bounced with every step.

"Nee-chan, Kotero-nii doesn't kill because he enjoys it. He-"

Naruto was interrupted by Niko's loud laugh, he then was the suddenly hugged from her. It was comforting, it truly was.

"Naruto… Do you think I'm stupid?"

Naruto shook his head after he wiped his nose. The blood stopped pouring, yet his upper lip and chin were covered in his dried blood.

"No! Obviously not! You'd be stupid to think that."

Niko paused for a second before chuckling to herself. An unintentional oxymoron got the best of her. She then walked ahead once more to lead the way.

"I know what you, Kotero, and your village really are. You're a shinobi. Your village takes on requests, which are categorised into missions. I can ask your village to clean my house, or to guard one of my establishments, or even to kill someone for me. It would be very easy for me to do so.

And I don't care if Kotero kills for a living. That is the life he chose for himself. Sure, he loves to fight, battle the strong, smell the blood in the air. He's tenacious in his fights so I hear. And he loves the challenge. Only time when he is scared is when he in a situation where he has zero control and someone he cherishes is in danger. He's honest about it and that's why I enjoy his company.

Very few people are truly honest…

And you have chosen your own life to live for. It would be sad if you weren't willing to take the necessary steps in becoming Hokage."

Naruto's lips frowned. "I don't want to kill just to achieve my dreams," he admitted. "Taking a life, that kind of decision… it's horrible."

"But you've done it before," Niko lamented as she stopped outside a tall building covered in red neon lights. "Reflecting on your past will only help you learn as long as you don't let them weigh you down to the ground. If your kills are justified, then you are making the correct decision for your future."

"Is it justified? Or is that just a cover for our evil?" Naruto asked as he looked at the bloodied palm of his hand.

"You're the idiot here!" Niko hissed quickly, making Naruto look up to her with surprise. "Let's take an example. Konoha was being invaded by multiple enemies. You killed Oto ninja. If you didn't, they would have killed the citizens of Konoha and destroyed the village. Did you do the right thing or not?"

"Well I-"

"In my eyes you did. If you didn't aid in the battle, Konoha could have been wiped off the map for eternity. And that would bring down the curtains on your dream," Niko finished. "We'll talk more as we go in. Just don't take it all in. You're too young for a place like this."

"A place like this?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

Naruto saw as a large guard stepped out of the way from the doorway. He followed her so not to get lost.

As he entered the building, Naruto became deathly quiet as he looked from side to side. This was something no child should see until he has become a man. Naruto was in a brothel. And a fancy one at that.

Attractive women from all around were showing themselves off to wealthy men for cold hard cash. Some were providing services in the private quarters. It was graphic to say the least.

Naruto, knowing what love is and having an older brother that wanted him to have good knowledge of human anatomy, understood that men and women would perform certain sexual acts to each other when the time was right.

To be a spectator of someone else's sexual pleasure wasn't pleasant at all, so Naruto made sure his eyes were always looking at the ends of Niko's hair and of the naked women displaying the art that is of the human body.

It was a difficult task to not stare. Naruto was a young man after all.

"Naruto? Did you know that the Western District was the original part of the city before the other districts formed? The Capital is one of the oldest locations in the world, and because of that, it has gone through many battles. It has risen and fallen many times," Niko said with an enlightened voice.

"And?" Naruto asked with a curious tone.

"The city we're in now is built on the city of the old. The sewer system and the old city that used to be here is all part on an underground system. If you haven't noticed, the Western District is raised higher up from all the other districts. And the 'Core' watches over everything still."

"What does that all mean?"

Niko laughed while walking to the back of the brothel. She then opened a locked door that was hidden beneath a wall banner of colourful patterns.

Unlocking and going through the door, the brothel section of the building was gone. Niko was walking down many corridors after locking it up again. As he should, Naruto was following her every footstep. He had no clue on where he was being led to, but he trusted the woman in front of him.

The corridors were confusing, the walls were covered by mirrors, so Naruto saw both of their reflections all around.

He wondered what the deal with all these mirrors was. Was it to distract you? What if it was for intruders who ventured to this section without permission, so they can lose themselves and get stuck?

Naruto knew that only Niko knew. He didn't bother to ask for the reason, he was sure it was done for her own protection.

Left, straight, right, right, left and straight again. It seemed to go on forever.

Naruto saw that he and Niko stood at a dead end, they were close together. Niko then looked to the wall and inspected it.

Naruto took the time now to take in the new details of the woman. It seemed she never liked to keep the same appearance.

During the Chūnin exams where she was a spectator, she wore a battle dress, and a nice one at that. Naruto appreciated the fact that she showed his support for him by wearing an orange ribbon around her knot for her ponytail. It made her look sophisticated and cool at the same time in his eyes.

Now she had her hair loose, her two white bangs framed her elegant face beautifully. Her strands of white hair reached to her lower back. Her outfit reminded him of the outfit that she wore when they met for the first time.

Only difference that Naruto could see that her outfit now covered more skin. Last time, she wore just a halter style top that revealed her shoulders and arms. Now, both areas were covered in a blue cardigan, which was with wavy golden streaks.

Seems that this woman took her sense of fashion and style seriously.

From his point of view, Naruto assumed that the cardigan was made from silk. It was clearly an expensive piece of clothing.

Naruto turned around to look moved so he could have a better look at what the woman was doing. His eyes widened once he saw that she was putting in a number code on the mirrored wall. There were nine different dials, where you move the numbers of zero to nine. A dull metal skull face was present within the wall, resting above the dials. The skull's empty eyes made Naruto uneasy.

She moved the dials to form her code. Satisfied, she then pulled on the eye sockets of the skull face, forcing it to move out of the wall. With a surprising amount of strength, she turned the metal until the skull face was upside down. Finally, she ended it her actions by pushing it back into the wall.

An ordinary man that one find on the streets would have struggled to pull out the skull. Naruto wondered how much physical strength this woman had.

Naruto felt vibrations in the ground and looked around. He could hear the movement of gears, something was happening, but he had no idea what.

"What the hell is going on ttebayo!?" Naruto asked, confusion was present in his voice and facial expressions.

"I'm showing you a piece of history," Niko said as she stepped back, pushing Naruto back along with her.

"Ok…"

The mirrored wall with the dull metal skull unhinged and moved away from the two, it then turned counter-clockwise on a hinge to reveal a spiral staircase that was descending.

Without caution, Niko climbed down the stairs. Naruto, not wanting to be rude, followed her once more.

Absorbing his surroundings, he saw that the stonework was old. Naruto was no architect, but even he knew that the brick used around him must be from the time when the city began to prosper.

Naruto went on ahead; the spiral staircase became a hallway. He suddenly turned around and watched a wall raise up, sealing the entrance. His beating heart really disliked all of this.

To him, it reminded him the story of Kotero's adventure in the ancient ruins of the Land of Stone and his own exploration inside the Hokage Mountain. Places where one could easily get trapped.

There were small lanterns on the walls that were lit up by bright blue flames. The heat output of them were unreal.

The flames truly caught his interest. They were no mere ordinary flame, Naruto could instantly tell by the look of them. He wondered what kind of substance Niko used to make it like that.

 _Naruto, she's really, really strong. Don't worry about her._

The words of Kotero reminded Naruto that the woman he was dealing with was as tough as nails. Maybe this was her power, blue fire? It seemed strange. If Niko could use chakra, then it would make more sense, but Naruto knew Fire Ninjutsu produced red and orange flames, not blue.

Naruto shook his head and placed it far back in his mind. He'll ask questions about it later, right now he needed to find out about Tsunade and her location. Of course, he didn't like being left in the dark, but he hated the idea of him being rude. Thus, he kept his mouth shut.

The hallway eventually stopped and in front of Naruto's eyes was another staircase, but it looked smaller than the previous one. Niko wasn't anywhere around so the young ninja kept his right foot forward and ploughed on ahead. It didn't take him long to jog down the rest of steps.

Naruto entered a room, there were no windows at all, ensuring maximum security. Around the large room there were many bookshelves filled with manuscripts, scrolls and thick books.

On the walls, there were maps of the whole Mainland, both continents were included. The Eastern Continent and the Western Continent. A large piece of land split in two.

Between the two continents was a large and wide mountain range that created a natural border from the top to the bottom. Because of its nature, they were named the Snake Fold mountains.

There is a great myth surrounding the mountain range that a mystical location called the Ryūchi Cave is deep within one of the mountains. A place that could grant you unimaginable power. Many did not believe it even exists.

None ever ventured to find out if it was true, the lands that the cave was rumoured to be at was surrounded by the highest mountains in the range. And beyond the mountain walls, there were many great snake predators waiting to turn you into their afternoon snake.

The Eastern Continent is where the Lands of Earth, Fire, Lightning, Water and Wind lay. The minor countries than surround and sit beside these major powerhouses added to it. There was a great balance and order in that half of the Mainland.

Beyond the Lands of Earth and Wind, and past the Snake fold mountains laid the Western Continent. It was ravaged by the constant wars between the many small nations. Only a mere handful of minor ninja hidden villages reside there. None of them were famous compared to the five great ninja hidden villages in the East. They had little influence in the flow of the world.

In the Western Continent, there were a lot more countries, yet these countries were all small, holding armies large enough to only hold their own ground. Death, poverty, famine, drought, natural disasters, the West had it all.

Naruto never heard much news when it came to the other side. Iruka only taught his class the names and general location of the countries that make up the West. The politics between the two sides have never been stable.

It would be fair to say that the Eastern Continent ignores the West, for the facts that it is wealthier, stronger and the lack of constant war makes it peaceful.

There was only three things he only really remembered about the lands in the West. One, the samurai were much more prominent in terms of military might for most countries. Two, there was a city with no laws, a hub for anything and everything. It was known as the 'Free City of Opportunities'. And finally, deep in the lands, there are horsemen of great power. An ancient clan that have the potential to conquer their neighbours.

But for now, most of that were only rumours to Naruto. If it didn't affect him or anyone he cared about, he didn't show any interest to the subject.

Naruto shifted his eyes away from the map and looked to where Niko was, she was going through a thick book.

Naruto walked over to her desk, he was curious. "What'cha doing Nee-chan?" he asked.

Niko ignored him and wrote on a piece of paper, she took her time and made sure to write everything neatly.

Naruto respected her privacy and didn't peep over the letter to see who it was for or what the contents said.

Naruto paced around the room until she was done, no point making her rush things. He certainly did not want her to dislike or hate him for any reason.

There was nothing that particularly caught his eye in this room, the fact that a lot of things were in boxes most likely contributed to that fact. He did want to go and search through them, yet he probably would've gotten murdered if he tried to do it while she was here.

"Naruto, here now," Niko ordered sternly. Flicking her fingers towards her to make the boy move with more pace.

Naruto turned around straight away and walked over to her again. He watched her lick an envelope shut as he walked over. He looked to the desk and saw another letter.

"What's up?"

Niko made sure the envelope was crisp and there were no creases on the paper. She flattened it out with her hands. She then grabbed a wet rag and threw onto Naruto's face.

Naruto quickly scrubbed his face clean and looked at the woman with a fresh face.

"So, I'm all for helping you out. But you must do something for me in return, can you handle it?" she asked, holding the envelope close to her face.

Naruto nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I can do it. What do you need me to do?" he asked.

Niko gave him the envelope and took the rag from him, throwing it onto a sink in the corner. She then rested her hands on her hips. Her weight shifted to her left hip. "I need that to go to Kotero. It must be in perfect condition when it reaches him. Tell him it's important information for him… and a bit for Konoha."

Naruto looked at the envelop and then to Niko with narrowed eyes. "I'll do it. But! I have a few questions. Why don't you use a messenger or a messenger hawk? And what about the other letter," he asked.

Niko sighed heavily and shook her head. "Naruto, you're related to Kotero. If I give it to a messenger, he might die on the job, or sell me out. I don't have a messenger hawk or messenger of my own that I can trust. My last one got shot down. The ones you can use here aren't trained to the very max. And if they got shot down on the job, that information will be released. This letter is very important. I know if I give it to you, I have no reason whatsoever to worry."

Naruto nodded with the answer as he was satisfied with the reasoning. "And the other letter?" he asked. "Is that one for Nii-chan as well?"

Niko shook her head and waved her hands. "No, don't worry about that one. It's just something I'm trying to figure out. The man is a stubborn prick, but I can't go to him arms blazing. It would only end up in one of dying of us and the other mortally wounded. I may have to face him sooner than I would like though, and it's never pleasant with that mask of his," she said with a creepy smile. It did not fit the tone of the conversation.

"Nee-chan… What do you do?" Naruto asked.

He thought she was just a businesswoman with a lot of property. But more and more he spends time with her, the more he notices that she appears to know a lot of the world, and the politics of it all.

And the blue flames from before, what kind of power was that? It only added to the long list of questions that needed to be answered. This woman was too damn mysterious in his opinion.

Niko slumped her shoulders and sat on her chair. Staring at Naruto with her dark blue eyes, she laughed lightly.

"Naruto, I'm a woman of many talents. Just call me an open-minded businesswoman who likes to put in the work. Now, what is it that you want?" she asked. "I will help you to the best of my abilities since you are doing this for me."

Breathing deeply, Naruto calmed down. "I need your help. The day we first met, we went to your restaurant and had chowder. It was nice."

Niko nodded with a smile. "I remember, you're just as interesting as the first time we met," she said. "Go on."

Naruto nodded. "At the end of the meal. Your mean manager came over, and you said something about the Legendary Sucker. I need to find that woman," he told her. "Do you know where she could have gone? Any idea?"

Niko hummed as she went to her mind to muse. "Her? What did she do to you? Hopefully nothing bad."

Naruto shook his head. "No, I've never met her. But I need to find her. It's for a mission."

Niko pulled back her head with a "Oh," and started to go through her large book in front of her. She pulled back four pages and then started to read down the list.

Naruto watched her go over entries made by her with their dates on them. Her fingers stopped on one entry and she started to mouth over the words.

Naruto focused on the entry and saw that his name was written in it. His eyes widened as he made the realisation, she was reading over the events of her day on when they first met.

"There we go," Niko said with a smile. "It seems that she left through Warden's Gate like you did in the Northern district. She then went North West into the Himeji region with a woman with short black hair and a small animal."

"She can't be going to that destroyed town like I did," Naruto moaned with crossed arms. "The Himeji region… There's only one place there that is worth visiting. Tanzaku Gai. Damnit, it's going to take a while to get there."

Niko laughed to herself before getting out of her chair. "Tanzaku Gai huh? It's a nice place. You should check out the castle, it's one of the biggest in the Land of Fire. And it's a gambling haven. She will most likely be going there like you said. Her gambling habits knows no bounds," she said.

Naruto smiled, he felt good that he got some good info. "Alright, I should go and see Ero-sennin and tell him the good news," he said. "I'm already late. He's probably waiting for me ttebayo. I shouldn't keep him any longer."

Niko laughed harder after she heard the nickname. "That's real funny Naruto. You say that name with some affection, but I can't tell it's a sign of closeness or an insult," she said. She then walked over to another book shelf, pulling on a book. The bookshelf then hitched and moved from the wall, revealing a secret passage. "Here Naruto, let me show you my exit."

* * *

 **The Next Morning, A Countryside Road**

' _Where… am I? Where's Naruto? Last night… I was having so much fun. Oh shit, my head is so sore. How much did I drink last night? Clearly too much, but I only had like three drinks. Seems like I'm not the only drinking too much of late. Is that the sound of a horse pulling a cart? What the hell happened?'_

His eyes opened wide. All he saw was wood in front of them. His body ached as he slept on the hard-shaking hickory wood floor. He pulled himself up and looked out of a flap. They were outside, far from the Capital as it couldn't be seen from the eye.

"You're finally up Ero-sennin. I was getting a bit sick of seeing you sleeping like a baby," the voice of Naruto said with a cheeky tone.

Jiraiya's face soured, he then spat out some built up saliva in his mouth. He then felt the incredible dryness that came afterwards. It seemed that he forgot to drink his fill of water before he fell asleep.

"Naruto, where are we?" Jiraiya asked. "I don't even remember seeing you last night. Why are we on a horse and cart? I thought we would be in a hotel."

Naruto gave Jiraiya his canteen of water, which the latter took gladly, and then threw his rubber ball in the air before catching it.

"We're on our way into the Himeji region. I decided myself since you were basically dead that our destination would be Tanzaku Gai. I got a good lead that Senju Tsunade could be there," Naruto told him. "So, it's no harm that we're going to pay the city a visit. If they're not there, we'll go on a touristy trip and check out those castles. Have some fun, ya know, something that a master and student should do."

Jiraiya focused his eyes onto Naruto, watching him attempt the second stage of the **Rasengan** once more.

"What makes you so confident? You have no doubt whatsoever in your voice or words?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto smiled at the man. "Oh? What makes you ask that Ero-sennin? I'm just good at being a ninja. I should be a Chūnin already."

 **FLOP!**

"Goddamnit!" Naruto cursed. "I swear I will get this right soon. That's like the sixth ball that died already today."

Jiraiya laughed lightly before breathing in some quick air. His head started to rise in pain. He rubbed it soothingly in a circular motion.

Finally remembering he had Naruto's water canteen, Jiraiya took off the cap and jugged down the cool, fresh water. It was revitalising.

Jiraiya wiped his mouth clean and released a contented sigh. He looked back to Naruto who was playing with a new rubber ball. The kid was having more fun with the ball than he was with him. Jiraiya shook his head and heavily sighed this time, not with relief but grief.

"Balls can't die, kid. Anyway Naruto, please tell me exactly why we're going to Tanzaku Gai of all places?" he asked.

Naruto stuck up one finger at the man. "First, Tanzaku Gai is known for their casinos and fair games." He then stuck up his second finger. "Second, I heard that the Legendary Sucker left through the Warden's Gate in the Northern District and headed North-West, along with a woman with short black hair and a small animal."

Jiraiya nodded and rested his chin on the back of his hand. "It must be Shizune that the information is referring to. I don't know about the small animal… You don't think one of them had a child, do you?"

Naruto threw the rubber ball into Jiraiya's face. It bounced right off his nose and came back to Naruto. Jiraiya was not amused one bit.

"I never knew either of them Ero-sennin, only you know them," Naruto said while putting his hands behind his head. "But if one of them had a child, you would think the father would be with them on their travels. Or, you know, they settle down in some place. So, no… I don't think they had a child."

Jiraiya hummed in agreement. "You're right. And anyway, Tsunade would never have a child."

"Why not?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya waved Naruto off and looked to the back of the cart. "I'll tell you later tonight when I feel better. It's a long, sad story. But I have another question for you. How did you find me?"

Naruto started to giggle, making Jiraiya worried. He couldn't remember anything that happened apart from entering the Northern district. Then it all went down the drain.

"I was looking for you. It was well past ten o'clock by this point. I think it was around Midnight. So, I went to the Northern District and tried to search you out. And let me tell ya, I was fuming. Like steam was coming out of my ears. I was struggling to find anything to do with you, so I summoned Gamakichi to help me out. He was a great help," Naruto told.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes on Naruto. "You summoned that little squirt?"

Naruto nodded with a grin. "Sure did. And he helped me find you. He helped lead me to a certain club. One filled with men and women. I was shocked to see my sensei in this place. Ero-sennin, you were at a strip club."

Jiraiya flinched once he saw the sudden cold stare from Naruto. He then scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Those types of clubs are great places to gather information. You should know that since a lot of varying customers go in there," Jiraiya said, defending himself.

Naruto's stare did not falter. "Do you remember what happened to you last night? The madam told me that someone slipped something like a white powder into your special drinks. Then stole some of your cash once you fell over. They had to leave you in the corner since you were in the way of potential customers."

Jiraiya's expression turned for the worse and he formed a frown. "So, I got no action last night… Wait, how did you even get inside?"

Naruto cracked his knuckles, one at a time. "I had to do a lot of convincing. It helps that I can choose my words wisely. If I wasn't around-"

"I get it," Jiraiya said, interrupting Naruto. "You are still underage to enter those places. What did it take to get in? An errand or a bribe?" he asked.

"Neither," Naruto answered simply. "I just asked, and they led me to you. The women there were nice to me. Almost as if they have heard of me before. Some were a bit rude and played with my cheeks, my poor whiskers," he said, rubbing his face with care.

Jiraiya rubbed his eyes and looked at Naruto again. He saw on the side of Naruto's throat, there were lip-prints in red lipstick. He gnashed his teeth and clenched his fist.

"This isn't fair," he complained with a yell. "I go in, pay the admissions. Some thief screwed up my drink while I was already intoxicated from the sexy babes. And I got nothing. You go in, drag me out and get a kiss from one of them, this is just not fair!"

Naruto searched around his throat and neck, rubbing the skin frantically. "What! I thought I got rid of them all!" he said after finding the prints in question. He cleaned them off quickly.

Jiraiya growled and his eyes turned dark. "There was more than one… I don't want to speak of this anymore. I can't believe I was done like that. But, it's not all bad. I knew I was missing a small pouch when I woke up. It was on my hip. There was nothing inside apart from a few coins. I'll survive."

Naruto grimaced at the words. "That's not good enough Ero-sennin. When a common thief can swindle their way to steal your money, that's a real low," he said, scowling at the man. "I don't want you to get drunk anymore. You're too much trouble then and I swear you weight twice as much as usual."

Jiraiya laughed, ignoring the insult and stood up once the cart stopped its shaking. "So, how long have we've been on this thing?" he asked.

Naruto looked to the man with a small smile. "We've been travelling since the crack of dawn. It's been around eight hours since we left. Now it's around three o'clock. We're stopping in the small village up ahead, Ōtama. Hopefully they'll have an inn where we can stay despite its small size," he said.

Jiraiya sat on one of the benches in the cart and stared at Naruto with curious eyes. "Now master planner, if there isn't one, what will we do?" he asked.

Naruto leaned back and rested on the wood. Rolling his neck, he then smiled at Jiraiya, rubbing his hands with excitement.

"Then we'll camp!" Naruto said. "We can do a proper campfire and have a nice meal under the stars. Only reason an inn sounds better is because I didn't sleep on a proper bed last night. But sure, that's life, right?"

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "How long will it take do you think for us to go from Ōtama village to Tanzaku Gai? We can go at a reasonable pace or we can run hard, your choice," he asked.

Naruto breathed in and out. Wrinkling his nose as he thought of their next move. He was getting sick of the heat within the wooden cart. He would prefer to feel the cold air that you embrace once you fly through the woods at high speeds.

Naruto leaned forward to Jiraiya with his hands covering his mouth. "We'll run. After a good rest, we can leave Ōtama village and run hard. We could be there in two days, arriving around evening or by night depending on Highwaymen or other things," he said. "You mightn't know what could happen."

Jiraiya got off his seat quickly and looked out through the back flap of the cart. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hm, you don't think we're being followed, do you?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked up. "The only ones who could be following us would be someone we met in the Capital or Konoha. The other villages have no intel on our mission to get the old hag. It's not impossible, so we should be careful of the future," he said.

Jiraiya turned his head with squinted eyes and smirked at Naruto.

Naruto growled before speaking. "What?" he asked.

Jiraiya waved it off and went back to his seat. "You're acting really mature, that's all. Speaking of times, the Hostage team should be getting close to the Land of Tall Grass. It should be two or three days before they get to Kannabi bridge. Hopefully the team will get the peace treaty," he said with a sigh.

Naruto shifted his eye back to Jiraiya. He was worried. "Do you think they'll be able to? Those Iwa ninja just seem like the type that don't want to listen. Their personalities are as hard as their rocks," he joked.

Jiraiya chuckled and leaned back. "Yeah I do actually," he admitted. "As blunt and cold your brother can be, he has great skills with that tongue of his," he said.

Naruto instantly soured and frowned at Jiraiya. "For goodness sake Ero-sennin. Can you not talk about Nii-chan in that way!?"

Jiraiya giggled to himself over what he said and wrote it down straight away in his notepad. "That will be used later," he whispered.

Jiraiya looked up and saw the furrowed brows of Naruto staring down at him.

"That's not what I meant. He has a good track record of talking with officials and high ranked personal. We just have to believe in him," Jiraiya said. "He's a good host when it comes to guests. At the start of our friendship, your brother treated me like I was absolute trash. I'm glad it's not as bad as it used to be. I sure did appreciate your house's spare room."

"Why did he treat you like that?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he was worried I might steal you away from him. That I'll make you love me more than him," he said. "Siblings can get jealous too."

Naruto shook his head. "I doubt that was the reason, but I don't care anymore. Here, you rest, and I'll keep practising on the **Rasengan**. We need to be fresh for tomorrow morning," he declared with authority.

Jiraiya cracked a smile and crossed his arms once more. "Spoken like a true Chūnin."

* * *

 **Close Borders of the Lands of Earth and Fire**

 **Foothills of Mount Yari of the Hida Mountain Range**

Something was wrong, and it had been for some time.

"Woah! Slow down guys. It's getting late. Let's make this location our camp and we'll fly again tomorrow."

Kotero turned around while holding onto Kurotsuchi tightly, he saw Genma, Raidō and Iwashi stop close to him with their own hostages.

Genma chewed on his senbon needle, his eyes narrowed onto Kotero. "What's gotten into you? You've been acting strangely since our break a few hours ago," he asked. "We can still run for an hour then set up camp."

Kotero shook his head and his eyes shifted over to Genma. "Or we can just wake up an hour earlier then. Kannabi bridge isn't far away anymore, we're close to the border of the Land of Tall Grass. Guys, put down your hostages in any ditch you see under a tree and make sure they stay there. Then meet up back here," he ordered.

All three of them nodded and jumped in separate directions. Kotero grabbed onto Kurotsuchi tightly and went down to the forest floor.

"What's wrong?" Kurotsuchi asked him. "You don't seem like your confident self anymore."

Kotero lightly laughed, but there was no glee or flitter in his voice. "I'm so happy that my hostage is worried about me," he said. "I'll say it when we find your new spot."

Kotero pulled her off him and placed her in the undermount of an oak tree. He made sure her bindings were tight, he even made sure that she was as comfortable as she could possibly be.

"I want to make sure you and your comrades are safe. As well as my own. I think we have a tracking squad on our heels. That's why after four hours of travelling after the break, I upped the speed of the group and changed the directions often to throw them off track, but they seemed to stick to us like glue," he said. "If it's an Iwa squad, they would have already made their move on us by now. Kumo doesn't know about the hostage exchange. Suna is far too weak to do anything. Kiri are our new best friends, Mei would never issue a mission like this."

Kurotsuchi listened intently. "That means it only leaves a bare few options," she said. "A minor village going against the might of Konoha or Iwa is insane to even think about," she said afterwards with a yawn.

Kotero stood up and smiled at the girl. "Yeah I was thinking along the same lines. This version of you is way nicer to talk to Kurotsuchi-chan. You're proud, but you can also listen and communicate to others such as myself," he said. He then turned around and gave the young woman a wink. "Don't worry Pebble-chan, I'll be gone for only a second."

As Kotero jumped away, he could hear the unladylike grunts from Kurotsuchi. He was also surprised on how loud her under the breath cursing was. He could hear them with no problem whatsoever.

Kotero landed on the large tree branch that he jumped off previously. He met up with Genma and Raidō. Iwashi came very soon after.

"Good, we're all here," Kotero said.

Genma took out his senbon needle and replaced it with a new one. He had a jar on his side filled with the wooden pointy sticks.

"Why did you stop so early? You usually make us run until one hour has passed after the sunset," Genma said. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm surprised you haven't felt it Genma," Raidō said. "Ever since Kotero-san started to run faster and in different directions, I noticed that we had pursuers on us. From what I think, I think it's two squads. A total of eight pursuers," he said.

Genma looked at Raidō with narrowed eyes. "Why didn't either of you two say anything?" he asked. "From Iwashi's face, he was also out of the loop."

Kotero sighed heavily and turned his way to Genma. "Because we have no idea who we're dealing with. However, since they are still on our tail after taking a small detour, we can confirm that we are, or even the hostages are their targets," he said. "We can't let the hostages get a single scratch. This peace treaty and the recovery of Uchiha Sasuke are our top priorities."

"You got something to say Iwashi?" Raidō asked him. "You've been thinking a lot. Come on and let us know what it is, time is money."

Iwashi flinched slightly, but then quickly focused on the conversation. "I was narrowing down of the list of potential villages that could be on us. There's very little to actually choose from," he said while scratching his facial hair. "I can only think of three villages that could be doing this despite one choice being completely ridiculous," he said further.

"Three?" Genma said. "It could be Iwagakure since it's their ninja. Or even Kusagakure, but it would be a declaration of war on two of the great ninja villages. What's the last one?" he asked at the end.

"Konoha itself," Kotero said, entering the conversation. "Suna is too weak, Kumo wouldn't know of this mission and Kiri would never issue a mission like this. That leaves Konoha," he said.

"You can't be serious?" Genma stuttered out. "We're Konoha ninja, getting a peace treaty and saving one of our own. Why would they send out two squads after us?" he asked again.

"Think about it. If this mission failed, it would only draw more unrest between the two villages. The failure would also cause Uchiha Sasuke to stay in Iwa hands, making our ninja and citizens uneasy, even though they wouldn't even know Sasuke personally. And in all disasters, there are people who benefit from these misfortunes," Kotero said. "One comes to mind in particular."

Genma looked up to the late evening sky and chewed hard on his senbon needle. Clearing his mind and letting it think of all the possibilities, it clicked for him.

"You don't think Danzō and ROOT is behind this?" Genma asked. "It would only harm Konoha."

"That is exactly what he wants though," Kotero said. "He's a man with a vision. The more beaten down the clay is, the easier it will be for him to form the Konoha he wants. If we fail or die, the links between the Sandaime and Yondaime Hokage will go away, making it easier for him to go into power. But this is all speculation."

"But it makes sense," Raidō said. "Danzō was never popular, but if there are no other choices and things go from bad to worse, the extremist that he is would become a more… desirable choice for the people. They would trust him to change Konoha, so another disaster wouldn't happen."

"What would happen to Konoha? The Sandaime was the light while he was the darkness," Iwashi said. "It was a strong balance"

"And now that the light has vanished, the darkness wants it all," Genma said. "I want Konoha to have stability, but I can't see a happy future with him at the helm."

"Then what should we do?" Raidō asked the team.

"We don't have much time, our increase in speed gave some distance between them and us, but they're catching up and our actions most likely put them on alert. I can assume that they are around fifteen kilometres away from us at this current moment. I have a plan, but I don't know if it will work out," Kotero said.

All three shifted their focus to their leader in an instant.

"Tell us, it's better than no plan," Genma said, digging his hands deeper into his pockets.

Kotero nodded whilst crossing his arms. "This whole squad knows the **Shadow Clone Jutsu**. We will use this to make them set up camp and for them to act as our doubles. Then we will go into two pairs in opposite directions and try to reach the behinds of the two squads. An ambush attack, as well as a pincer movement," he said. "If they're not an enemy, we'll question them."

"How did we not notice them before?" Raidō asked. "We're all Jōnin here, and capable at sensing chakra."

"Walk while the dogs sleep," Genma said. "They've been on our trail for a while then. The must have caught most of their ground when we rested at nights. It's the only possibility."

Kotero agreed with a hum. "Yeah, I don't think there's any other way for them to be this close. We already gave them the benefit of the doubt. If we didn't have to go to Kannabi Bridge with the hostages, we could have done this a lot earlier," he told them. "We don't have much time. Genma and I will go this way to the East. Iwashi and Raidō will go to the West. Try to arch around so we can see them from behind. We don't need to go too far as they will be catching up to us now."

"Sounds good," Genma said. "Alright guys bring out your clones. We need to move out as soon as possible."

All of them formed the Cross hand seal, four puffs of smoke appeared around them. All were identical clones to the caster. Already knowing the plan, the clone squad moved back towards the camp site.

The four men nodded to each other and then vanished from their spots, two going east and two going west.

Kotero and Genma moved through the forest with pace. They then started to turn to the right, making their path one of a large arc. They soon decreased their speed to stop the opportunity of their followers from noticing them.

They stopped their arcing and decided to cut back into their original path. They wanted to get close enough to the followers, they needed to identify them.

Kotero and Genma moved in closer, they both saw a glimpse of a white cloak. They slowed down and watched the group of four individuals in front of them.

The four cloaked figures stopped and moved themselves behind the trunk of the trees they were on.

Kotero and Genma did the same action with their own tree. Genma was on the branch just above Kotero's head. They needed to form a quick plan.

From the shape of their body structures, the four cloaked figures in front of them were men. The tell-tale signs were the broad shoulders and their height. From their angle, Genma and Kotero could assume that these men were all tall in stature.

"What should we do?" Kotero asked Genma. "If they're not enemies and we attack them, that would be really bad."

Genma played with the senbon in his mouth, moving it between his teeth. It always made his mind clear.

"I'll go in and talk, you stay behind and support me if things go badly," Genma said.

Kotero nodded in agreement. "Good. What will you do if they attack straight away?" he asked.

"No words, but action," were Genma final words before he made himself known to the four in front of him.

The four cloaked figures turned around and all of them readied their tantō blades. From the distance, Kotero saw that the tantō blades had no tip, it was a flat top. The weapons were strange, they were something unique.

"You four," Genma said. "We don't like it when people are following us. Identify yourselves. Now," he said loudly.

The four cloaked figures looked at each other, yet none of them uttered a word.

Genma clicked his tongue, his eyes narrowed onto the four cloaked figures. Their silence was getting onto his nerves.

"If you don't identify yourselves right now, I won't hold back and find out myself," Genma said to them in his most serious voice.

The four cloaked readied their tantō blades. "Plan Alpha has failed. Start Plan Delta," said one of the cloaked figures.

The four cloaked figures lifted their heads, all four of them were wearing porcelain masks, like those who were in the Konoha ANBU.

Genma could feel the quick change in the air, the tension has vanished, and the sensation of a fight had come.

Seeing that the enemies were about to attack, Genma launched the first move. He spat out his senbon with a high velocity while weaving through hand seals.

Ending with the hand seal of Tiger, his senbon multiplied into multiple copies of itself. Having manipulated the **Multiple Shadow Shuriken Technique** , Genma now had a hundred deadly senbon projectiles aimed at the cloaked figures in front of him.

The cloaked figures jumped from their spots, all in different directions. Genma saw the one to his right strayed off from the pack, it seemed that his senbon duplicates prevented him to go with his team.

After refilling his mouth with a senbon, Genma readied his kunai from his holster. Crouching down to the bark of the branch, he then launched forward and grabbed onto the stray, bringing both him and the enemy towards the ground.

In the motions, Genma had tried to stab the cloaked figure in his first move, but it was countered by a block from the cloaked figure's tantō. The war of who will win would have to be decided on the ground.

The two were in close quarters, neither gave the other any space to do any alternate actions. They're heads were budding, Genma could feel the porcelain texture rub off his skin. He didn't like the feeling one bit!

"Back wide open," Genma heard the monotone whisper from behind him. Like the voice said, his back was open, if he tried to disengage with his current foe, he would surly get killed.

Genma focused on the man he was currently fighting, there was no reason to worry.

 **SMASH!**

Genma turned his head while holding tight to his current foe to see the other cloaked figure fly into a tree nearby. It must have been a mighty punch or kick to make the cloaked figure fly off that far.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Kotero come into his vision with his sword drawn out. Only one, the one with the red hilt.

Genma watched as Kotero waited for the cloaked figure to come to him with his tantō. He noticed that Kotero's guard was quite high as he wielded his deadly sword with both his hands. The point was aiming downwards towards the enemy's chest.

The figure swung his tantō around, Kotero dodged the slashes with sidesteps, his movements correlated with arcs and curves.

The cloaked figure swung his tantō in a downwards slash. Genma watched as Kotero raised his blade and made it horizontal, blocking the attack. He then saw Kotero shifting his body's angle, his right foot back moved back in a skid.

Kotero's shoulder pushed the cloaked figure away from him, it was a small distance away from him. Genma then watched Kotero spin on the spot, creating momentum and slashing the figure in an upward diagonal motion. From the left to the right.

The blade slashed through the cloaked figure easily, there was very little resistance. Blood sprayed across the forest floor, it was quite the spectacle.

Having not finished, Kotero spun around once more and swung his blade low. The sword went straight through the cloaked figure's legs. The limbs fell off and the rest of the body went to the ground.

The cloaked figure was arching upwards, grunting in pain, anybody else would have already died or would be screaming their lungs out.

Genma's eyes felt that his enemy was distracted from the other's peril. Taking the opportunity, Genma spat out his senbon needle into the cloaked figure's eyehole. The senbon went straight through without a hitch. An easy insertion.

The cloaked figure pulled and stepped away from Genma. He grunted in heavy pain, he was making loud noises as he trashed around the area. It was surprising that he wasn't any louder than he was now. The sounds were comparable to the sound of receiving a punch to the gut, not a projectile into the eye.

Genma took out two more kunai and threw all threw with pace into the cloaked figure's chest. Two of the kunai struck and were embedded into the man's shoulders. The last was in the man's heart.

In his last dying moments, the cloaked figure formed the Ram hand seal and then lost all control of his body. His body collapsed to the floor. That wasn't the strange thing however, the strange thing was that his body started to ignite in green flames.

"This is the **Body Elimination Technique** , only the ANBU or Jōnin would know that technique. With the masks, these guys are the ANBU for some village," Genma muttered, still on the lookout for the two other enemies.

Shifting his eyes to where Kotero was, he looked at Kotero staring down to the enemy he had just slain burning in blue fire. It was the same **Body Elimination Technique** , only difference was just that the colour of the flame was blue not green.

Genma saw Kotero jump towards him. The two then put their backs to each other, watching out in every direction. Genma took a new senbon and chewed it into his mouth. It was a clear addiction at this point.

"Did you see anything?" Genma asked. "This whole thing is strange."

Kotero hummed loudly and sheathed his sword Ruby. He then took out a kunai and flicked it around his index finger, there was anticipation in his eyes.

"I ripped off the cloak before he set himself on fire. The man was wearing shinobi fitted trousers and a shinobi shirt. But he also had a black jacket with red strips… I think, I didn't get a good look at it honestly," Kotero admitted. "But, it's definitely an ANBU unit. Those masks, that technique."

"That's what I thought as well," Genma said as he walked to the spot of the now burnt corpse of Kotero's victim. "They didn't act like an Iwa ANBU squad. From my experience, they're usually more ninjutsu heavy with collaboration Earth ninjutsu move."

Kotero hummed with a nod. "That brings back memories of my fight with Kitsuchi's fight. They were very good at using different jutsu together," he said.

Kotero's eyes shifted back to Genma who stopped talking.

"Genma, you alright bud?" Kotero asked as he slowly walked his way to him. "We have to find those other two before they get to Raidō and Iwashi."

Genma was as still as a mouse. Kotero was getting worried. It suddenly grew tenfold when Genma decided to run in a random direction.

"Torune, hit me now!" Genma shouted in a neutral tone.

' _What the fuck is a Torune?'_ Kotero thought as he ran after Genma. He already started to weave through hand seals. He needed something to push Genma or this "Torune" away without killing the former.

A new figure popped out of the bushes, with his hands ready to feel up Genma. In the evening sun, Kotero could see that the hands were purple, and they were no special coloured gloves. It was his skin!

Kotero had no clue what the hell it was, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Genma get touched by those dastardly purple hands.

He had to save his friend, his hands flowed through the hand seals.

' ** _Water Release: Water Wall_** _,'_ Kotero thought as water gushed out of his mouth and created a high and thick wall of water.

By quickly forming the Bird hand seal and then pulling back his left arm, Kotero began to push the water out further and further.

Letting it hit the new figure, Kotero pushed the man away from Genma with the water wall. He stopped the jutsu and hit Genma's face with a chakra-enhanced slap.

Genma snapped out of whatever he was stuck in. His eyes were wide, he then gritted his teeth. The pulsing sensation of a slap to the face was not unique to Genma, but he didn't like the fact that Kotero was the one to give it to him this time around.

"What the hell!?" Genma lashed out.

Kotero furrowed his brows and stared down Genma. "What the hell!? What the hell were you doing more like!? Were ya trying to kill yourself!?" he said.

Genma rubbed his head, Kotero only noticed there how groggy his facial features looked.

"I don't know what happened. I just couldn't see, hear or feel anything. Almost as if my soul was ripped out of my body." Genma eyes were wide open. He tried to calm himself down quickly, all while massaging his face. "Before that, I felt something push into the back of my head, and it pushed really hard. Like it was trying to really dig its way into my brain."

Kotero analysed the words said and looked around. "I felt the exact same thing when Inoichi did that to me the first time I came to Konoha. That narrows down our list of suspects," he whispered. "And those purple hands, what the fuck were they?"

"Purple hands? I've never heard or seen thembefore," Genma told Kotero with tensed shoulders. "Here, we should find the other two before it's too late."

Kotero nodded in agreement and took out one of his swords with his right hand, his left hand then formed into a claw, hovering over the sword, embedding it with his wind chakra. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Kotero looked around, there was no obvious sign of them, yet he sensed that they haven't moved since his attack on the man with purple hands.

"Looks like I have to use it all around us, keep your head down if you want to keep it Genma!" Kotero warned as he spun on the spot, swing his sword in a three hundred and sixty degree rotation.

Genma ducked to the ground as fast as he could. He then felt the sharp wind go over his head, it was deadly quick.

 **SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!**

The trees all around Genma and Kotero started to collapse onto the forest floor, many them have been cut. Now, Genma and Kotero could spot out their new friends that were hiding from them.

Kotero could see two cloaked figures rise from their crouched positions. They're were cuts all over their cloaks, no doubt from his deadly attack that spread across the forest area. They were both holding tightly onto their tip less tantō blades.

Despite their appearance, they appeared unharmed. It was a true shame to the pair.

Genma stepped forward, his kunai was still ready for any danger. He had a question to ask.

"You're ROOT, aren't you?"

Kotero came up close to where Genma was standing, his sword Ruby, was resting on his shoulder. Like Genma, he was ready for any danger.

"Danzō should have known better to send out only eight against this team of ninja." Kotero's eyes were full of hunger, his lips formed a small smile. "What does he plan on getting? Hoping that we die, and the hostages are taken away?"

The two men didn't say a word. They were silent. It seemed that the rumours that Kotero had heard were true. When in ROOT, you are only a tool. You have no feelings. You have no past. You have no future. There is only the mission.

 **BANG!**

Behind Genma and Kotero's ears, they heard what sounded like a flare go off. Kotero turned his head while Genma kept his eyes on the two ROOT operatives in front of them.

In the evening sky, there was a blue flare blazing brightly, signalling something. The two Konoha Jōnin had no idea what the hell it meant.

"Oh fuck!" Genma was taken by surprise. By grabbing Kotero with his quick thinking reflexes, he saved them both by jumping into the trees.

Kotero turned around and landed on a branch, watching what happened to down at the Forest Floor.

There was now a purple and grey mist in air around where the four were standing. Kotero could have a good guess at what it was. Poisonous gas bombs.

Underneath the deadly cloud, there were shiny dots. The ROOT operatives laid caltrops all around so Genma and Kotero couldn't give them chase.

"This is not good," Kotero hissed. "If we go after them, our hostages will be in danger. If we don't, it'll cause problems in the future."

"Yeah, and Raidō would say 'time is money'. We better regroup, we can't decide anything until we get all the available details," Genma ranted with a venomous bite.

Kotero nodded in agreement. Sighing heavily, he wiped away any tiredness that was on his face and breathed deep to get his blood pumping hard. "Let's move over to them now. I'll try and pinpoint their locations with my sensing. You stay on my rear Genma. Let's fly!"

Kotero didn't waste time and jumped from his branch, moving towards the west. He could feel that Genma was following his every step, following him in his slipstream.

The pair travelled fast and travelled hard.

"Kotero, sense on what's happening ahead. I feel something strange!"

Kotero felt the sensation of chakra up ahead as well, further in the pair's direction. He steadied himself and began to feel out the chakras around him.

"I found them. It's Raidō and Iwashi. But there's something wrong," Kotero told him. "One of them is distressed, weakened."

Genma grunted his dissatisfaction from the bad piece of news. "One of them got injured. It was always a danger. Which one do you think it is?"

Kotero focused hard as he ran forward. Trying his best to determine who, Kotero slowed down to help his sensing.

"From the feel of things. I think it's Iwashi. Shit, I hope it's not too bad," Kotero said. "Let's get there as soon as possible now! They're not far now."

"Understood," Genma replied. He didn't want to fluff up his words. The situation just got even more intense.

The two Konoha Jōnin blitzed through the forest, it didn't take them too much time to reach their comrades' location. The sight was not pretty.

Three dead bodies, two of them were covered in red flames and the third was covered in a smoky brown flame. The brown flame was strange, it was like the colour of the flame you see when it's burning off the bark of a tree.

The scene that took the colour away from Genma and Kotero's faces was that of Raidō applying pressure on a wound that Iwashi received to his gut. It was nasty, blood soaked his ninja attire.

Kotero snapped out of his stupor and ran over to the two, he needed to help, and he needed to do it fast!

"Raidō, get away from Iwashi. Tell me what happened, now!" Kotero shouted as he took out a medical scroll.

The man opened it and then laid it on the floor. The whole stretch of scroll paper had different seal markings, indicating the different pieces of equipment used in Kotero's emergency kit.

"Shit! Kotero, is there anything we can do to help?" Genma desperately asked whilst worrying. To see a comrade bleeding, losing his life, it was a difficult thing to watch.

"No, I only need one person. Raidō will assist me, Genma you go and check up on the hostages," Kotero said as he checked up on Iwashi. "Iwashi's shadow clone is definitely gone so there's only three of them there. Go now," he said.

Genma nodded with a fiercely serious expression his face. He then vanished towards the camp, showing off his speed.

"What do I have to do Kotero?" Raidō asked, he was ready to help.

"All I need you to do is wait for now." Kotero's words were quick as he took off Iwashi's flak jacket and threw it into the nearby bush. He then grabbed a short and sharp knife and cut away Iwashi's black shinobi shirt.

Right now, the redhead had no respect for his surroundings.

Kotero used his knife to cut all around Iwashi's abdomen, showing off the mid-riff. There was a large stab wound close to the liver. It didn't look good.

"Raidō, apply pressure over the wound. I need to get my equipment ready," Kotero ordered as he pulsed chakra over the multiple seals.

With the equipment appearing quickly, Kotero quickly took a needle that had plastic tubing around and leading off it and then inserted into Iwashi's vein that resided on his arm. "Now, let's get the O negative blood bag."

Raidō did what he was asked. A thought popped into his head. "That's why you asked for our blood types during the first day!"

Kotero hummed as he took some medical gauze. "We need to clean up the wound. We'll clean it down with water and then I'll apply this medical cream around the wound."

"What's the medical cream for?" Raidō asked. "Will it save Iwashi!?"

Kotero shook his head as he applied the cream. "No, it's not going to save him. It's just going to help me. It helps seal up the wound by encouraging the platelets in the blood to clot up."

"That doesn't sound good," Raidō said under his breath.

Kotero grunted before clapping his hands together. "Trust the medical expert of the group would ya!? We don't want Iwashi dying or getting an infection!"

Kotero then spreads out his palms, flowing the medical chakra into Iwashi's large wound. Taking his time, he slowly stitched the wound together. It was a wide cut which made things difficult. He was just glad Iwashi only suffered the one.

Raidō was helping by cleaning up the mess, he watched Kotero work with focus. After the initial treatment. Kotero began wiping up around the wound with an anti-bacterial wipe, making sure that there was a lesser risk of Iwashi receiving an infection later.

The wound was mostly gone, a small scar line remained after the incident. It was too large for it not to receive any scar tissue.

There was ruffling heard from the trees. Company was about to appear. The sound of feet landing to the ground made its noise.

"How is he?" the voice of Genma asked. "He didn't…"

"He made it!" Raidō cheered with a smile. "We saved him."

Kotero nodded with a smile and rested on his rear. "Yeah, Raidō was a huge help. How is the status of the camp?"

Genma looked at Kotero with a wry smile. "Yeah, they're all ok. The girl hostage though, she was wondering if you died," he told the group.

"And what did you say?" Kotero asked. "Hopefully no."

"Nah, I said she had a fifty-fifty chance of seeing you again," Genma answered with a laugh.

Kotero snorted and finished off the cleaning of his supplies. He looked at Iwashi who was unconscious. The blood bag was still replenishing him, the man lost a serious amount of blood.

"I'm glad that you're taking the situation lightly. We nearly lost a man and there was a huge risk of our hostages getting taken away. Genma, Raidō, can you bring Iwashi back to camp please? Tomorrow morning, we need to have a plan. We can't have this happening to us again. Next time, one of us might actually die. But now... I need a moment to myself."

"Plan? What if they come again in while everyone is resting?" Raidō questioned.

Kotero slumped his shoulders, his eyes turned cold as they stared at Raidō and Genma.

"Take care of the hostages, go back to the camp. Rest up and stay on alert. After my break, I'll hunt them down. We need evidence."

Genma and Raidō nodded a yes before going and grabbing the limp body of Iwashi. Picking him up, they moved towards the camp at a slow pace to make sure his newly recovered wound wouldn't open again.

Kotero slumped against a nearby tree and looked up to the evening sky. He could already see the moon, a crescent moon.

 **CAW!**

Kotero looked to the trees and saw a large flock of crows leave the crowns. He didn't know what to make of the scene.

Gazing to where the crows flew, they were flying towards the moon. The last of the sunlight painted a pretty picture of the sky. There was another bird flying high in the sky. To him, it looked like an eagle, looking for its next prey.

Kotero shook his head and looked to his blood-soaked hands. The blood of a comrade that nearly died because of his command. Clenching his hands into fists, Kotero wanted to pay the bastards back.

' _Naruto. I hope you're doing fine on your path. Hopefully we can walk the same one soon. All in good time though, all in good time._ '

* * *

 **~ 0 ~**


End file.
